Lifting the Crude Oil Export Ban = Refinery Jobs in Jeopardy

The Arab oil embargo in 1973 sent shockwaves through our economy. U.S. gasoline prices spiked. There were legitimate fears of fuel shortages. It was a wakeup call for Americans on energy security and our vulnerability to events outside of our borders. In response, Congress enacted a ban on nearly all exports of domestically-produced crude oil. We still import crude to meet demand, but overall, the policy has – and is – working, and Americans can never again be held hostage by OPEC or other oil rich countries. The ban also helped the U.S. refining industry align to domestically-produced crudes, meaning more investment in our refining jobs, energy infrastructure and overall security. For 40 years, the public and Congress have supported this smart policy.

Effort Underway to Dismantle the Ban – There’s a growing effort by some producers and their allies in Congress to lift the ban and export our crude. In their relentless pursuit of profit, they’ll harm U.S. jobs, endanger U.S. national security and make us more susceptible to global oil prices by selling crude on the international market. They are doing their best to build flimsy arguments to back their position. Congressional action is expected in July.

Lifting the Ban Threatens U.S. Refinery Jobs – Our union represents workers at 63 of the nation’s refineries. That’s 2/3 of the U.S. domestic refining capacity. These are good jobs that support our families and boost the economy. They stabilize our communities by bolstering the tax base and supporting local businesses. If the ban is lifted, we can expect our crude to end up in China – the world’s largest crude importer – and elsewhere. As the crude goes overseas, it won’t be long before it takes our refining jobs with it.

Broad Impacts on Consumers, Other Jobs – The ban supports lower prices in the U.S. relative to the rest of the world. That benefits consumers by keeping prices at the pump in check. It helps keep our goods and services – anything that relies on petroleum products, including manufacturing – globally competitive. That creates and sustains far more jobs and economic growth than exporting U.S. crude ever could.

In this past year, USW refinery workers came together to fight for better workplaces. Now it’s time to fight to make sure our jobs aren’t put at risk through bad political decisions.

Action Step:

1. Please complete the following attachment and return to the Union Hall by July 31st.:    http://images.usw.org/download/rapid/Oil_Letter.pdf.

As the workers with the most at stake, it’s critical that Congress hears our voices in this debate.

USW Rapid Response ? (412) 562-2291 ? http://www.uswrr.org ? www.facebook.com/USWRapidResponse