WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today released the following statement on her meeting with Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker on the issue of crude oil and condensate exports:

“I appreciate Secretary Pritzker taking the time to meet with me today. We had an open conversation about the Commerce Department’s approach to the question of U.S. oil exports. I am encouraged that Secretary Pritzker is engaged and that there are ongoing discussions within the department on this issue.

“I believe that renovating the architecture of our energy export policy is a chance to enhance both the U.S. economy and our geopolitical standing around the world. It is also a rare opportunity for Congress and the administration to act in a bipartisan way in the national interest. Commerce’s recent action classifying processed condensate as a petroleum product under its existing regulations is a step in the right direction.”

Murkowski, the senior Republican on the energy panel, released a white paper in January on the need to revamp U.S. energy export policy. Murkowski has also published this year five staff reports on crude oil and condensate exports, which are available on the energy committee’s website. 

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