House of Representatives approves bill to overturn ban on crude oil exports; Obama expected to veto

WASHINGTON, DC (WTVB) – It may not go anywhere anyway, but the US House has thrown down the oil gauntlet on the White House and Congressional Democrats. On a 261-159 vote, the Lower Chamber approved a bill that would overturn a 40-year-long ban on crude oil exports, not enough to override an expected Presidential veto. House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton of St. Joseph says the time to end the Gerald Ford-era prohibition is now. The Obama Administration is against this on environmental principles, saying that Congress should work instead to move America to cleaner sources of energy.