WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today welcomed the news that ConocoPhillips has loaded a U.S.-flagged tanker with Alaska crude oil for export to markets in Asia.

“Alaska has long played a vital role in the American energy trade,” Murkowski said. “This is the first North Slope cargo to leave Alaska for overseas markets in a decade. I am encouraged to see Alaska increasing its participation in global oil markets. It’s my hope that Lower 48 oil will soon follow suit.”

While the ConocoPhillips tanker is the first North Slope crude shipment to Asia since 2004, the ability to export Alaska North Slope (ANS) crude oil is nothing new.

President Bill Clinton supported ANS exports through a national interest determination in April 1996, declaring: “Permitting this oil to move freely in international commerce will contribute to economic growth, reduce dependence on imported oil, and create new jobs for American workers. It will not adversely affect oil supplies or gasoline prices on the West Coast, in Hawaii, or in the rest of the nation.”

Then-President Clinton’s finding followed the November 1995 passage of Public Law 104-58, which authorized Alaska exports.

The bill received bipartisan support in both the House, where 77 Democratic representatives joined Republicans in a 289-134 vote, and the Senate, where 18 Democratic senators joined Republicans in a 69-21 vote. 

Both the finding and the law were preceded by an extensive Department of Energy study, which concluded: “Our examination of the Alaskan North Slope (ANS) crude oil export issue found that there would be a significant number of benefits to the United States from allowing the export of ANS crude.” 

American companies exported ANS crude oil to Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, and China between 1996 and 2004. Historical data is provided below: 

Source: EIA

###