Montana politics, elections and legislative news

Zinke, White House At Odds Over Oil Export Ban

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Oil pump.
Dan Boyce

Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke has joined a big push in the House to repeal America’s ban on exporting crude oil. Today the White House said it would veto the bill Zinke is backing.

The Congressman says it would create jobs in Montana and boost national security.

Zinke says he only sees opposition to ending the oil export ban from one quarter.

"You always have what I would call the radical environmentalists that just don’t like anything with fossil fuels."

A report from the Government Accountability office this summer says there’s evidence that the export ban would be good for the domestic oil industry and might lower prices for gasoline.

You can findthe White House’s statement on the oil export ban here.

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Eric Whitney is NPR's Mountain West/Great Plains Bureau Chief, and was the former news director for Montana Public Radio.