Energy and the Environment

WASHINGTON — The U.S. House of Representatives voted Friday to lift a 40-year ban on the exportation of crude oil, a move Congressman Bradley Byrne says will create hundreds of thousands of jobs and strengthen national security.

Proponents of the bill, which passed the House 261-159, say it could create 630,000 jobs in the next five years and create a boost to the manufacturing sector.

All of Alabama's Republican members of the House voted to lift the ban, while the state's only Democratic representative, Terri Sewell voted to keep it in place.

MONTGOMERY, AL (WSFA) -

The U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals granted a nationwide stay of the Environmental Protection Agency's "Waters of the United States" rule, also referred to as WOTUS, Friday.

The Obama administration's WOTUS ruling, which went into effect on Aug. 28, attempted to clarify which small streams, wetlands and other waterways the government can shield from pollution and development. It was almost immediately stayed in 13 mostly western states.

The House voted Friday to end the 40-year ban on U.S. oil exports, but the legislation faces an uncertain fate after the White House previously said it was not on board with the move.

A U.S. federal appeals court temporarily halted the Environmental Protection Agency on Friday from implementing the "Waters of the United States," a controversial regulation of the Clean Water Actthat critics considered yet another federal power grab over state's waters.

Friday, October 9, US Representatives Gary Palmer (R-Hoover) and Bradley Byrne (R-Montrose) voted for HR702, the Energy Policy and Conservation Act. The bill would end the ban on the export of crude oil.

New advances in oil extraction recovery technology have vastly increased America's recoverable oil and gas reserves. Conservatives and business interests argue that the 1970s era ban now hampers America's ability to compete in international energy markets.