Senators Urge Oil Exports to Mexico

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources committee, and Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.), joined 19 of their Senate colleagues on a bipartisan letter to U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker encouraging the administration to authorize oil exports to Mexico under the same conditions established for exports to Canada.

“Part of our commitment to a multifaceted national energy strategy means building ties with our North American neighbors through increased collaboration on energy projects and the movement of energy products across our borders,” Heitkamp said in a statement. “Just as we have strong partnerships with our neighbors to the north in terms of petroleum and natural gas production, we need to be making concerted efforts to reduce barriers that hinder the growth of our existing relationship with Mexico.”

Heitkamp said that, last spring, she met with the CEO of PEMEX in Mexico to discuss continued and increased partnerships with U.S.-based companies as they begin to open up their markets.

In their letter, leadership said that recent reports indicate that PEMEX has applied for a swap transaction that would involve imports of heavy Mexican oil in exchange for exports of light U.S. oil.

“We encourage the Department of Commerce to approve any such applications it has received or may receive from adjacent foreign states, such as Mexico,” they said. “The Energy Policy and Conservation Act and other relevant statutes clearly authorize swaps and exchanges and, in our view, deserve bipartisan support.”