Washington treads cautiously on oil export debate

摘要

The US may be inching toward an historic shift in its oil export policy.Washington’s deep-seated anxiety over US energy security is easing,as the shale revolution propels the US to the top of the world’s list of oil producers.With US crude output expected to rise by another 1mn b/d this year and approach record highs in 2015,key US policy makers are beginning to question whether crude export controls put in place in the wake of the 1973 Arab oil embargo are appropriate today.No consensus has emerged,nor will one be easy to achieve.The issue pits producers against refiners and divides the oil sector’s traditional political base.