HR0902 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0902 LRB099 15811 GRL 40120 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, According to the United States Energy Information Administration, Illinois is a key transportation hub for crude oil and natural gas moving throughout North America, with more than a dozen interstate natural gas pipelines, 2 natural gas market centers, several petroleum and petroleum product pipelines, and an oil port; and

WHEREAS, Illinois ranks fifth in the United States with respect to population (12.8 million), GDP ($730 billion), and jobs related to exports (340,000); and

WHEREAS, Illinois' top exports, per the United States Department of Commerce, are petroleum products (#1) and crude oil (#5); in 2014, Illinois exported $1.1 billion in crude oil, a 425% increase from 2013; and

WHEREAS, Illinois has the most oil refineries in the Midwestern United States (4), with an aggregate crude oil processing capacity of approximately one million barrels per day; and

WHEREAS, Illinois is ranked fourth in oil refining capacity in the United States, as of January of 2014; and

WHEREAS, In December of 2015, due to an unexpected increase in United States crude oil stockpiles combined with a decision from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries to maintain high levels of production, oil prices fell to below $38 per barrel, a decline of more than $25 per barrel since December of 2014; and

WHEREAS, The United States is currently a party to 14 free trade agreements with 20 partner countries, which account for $37.4 billion of Illinois' exports in 2014; and

WHEREAS, Under current United States law, there is a vague ban on the export of United States crude stemming from the 1920 Mineral Leasing Act, the 1975 Energy Policy Conservation Act, and the 1979 Export Administration Act; and

WHEREAS, There is currently an effort in the United States Congress to lift the export ban of United States crude oil; and

WHEREAS, Proponents of the ban assert that, among other things, such legislation is not needed at this time and Congress should instead, among other things, end the multi-billion dollar subsidies provided yearly to oil companies; opponents of the ban assert that, among other things, such legislation will, among other things, lower gasoline prices across the country, give the United States greater foreign policy influence, and bolster United States trade competitiveness and market access; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we encourage a uniform, transparent, and modern process among the U.S. State Department, the United States Department of Commerce, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and the United States Department of Energy for licensing the exportation of crude oil produced in the United States and the approval of cross-border pipelines; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be delivered to U.S. State Department, the United States Department of Commerce, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the United States Department of Energy, the United States Congressional Budget Office, and the United States Government Accountability Office.