House votes to end U.S. oil export ban

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.

The ban, which went into effect in 1975 following the 1973 OPEC oil embargo, stifles job creation and causes oil prices to be higher in the U.S., according to opponents. Legislation to lift the ban passed Friday in a 261-159 vote. Supporters of the ban say ending it would actually lead to a spike in prices.

All six Alabama House Republicans voted in favor of the measure, while the lone Democrat, Rep. Terri Sewell of Birmingham, voted against it.

"I am strongly in favor of ending the ban on the export of crude oil," Rep. Gary Palmer, R-Hoover, said in a statement. "America is in the middle of the energy renaissance. New technology has led to extensive new energy production and America is now the biggest producer of crude oil in the world, providing jobs for many Americans and lower prices for everyone. However, we are not taking advantage of enormous economic benefits because of the crude oil ban, which compromises American competitiveness and forces American families to spend more on energy. "

In a speech on the House floor, U.S. Rep. Bradley Byrne, R-Fairhope, referred to the popular public support for lifting the ban, citing a poll that showed 69 percent of Americans favor ending it.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Obama doesn't approve of the bill because the Commerce Department should have jurisdiction over whether to end the ban.

"We've got on a position on this, which is that this is a policy decision that is made over at the Commerce Department," Earnest said last month, according to The Hill. "And for that reason, we wouldn't support legislation like one that's been put forward by Republicans."

Byrne criticized Obama's position.

"So let me get this straight: the Obama Administration would rather unelected, unaccountable federal bureaucrats at the Department of Commerce make the decision instead of the democratically elected Congress? I think that speaks to a larger problem with this White House and how they believe our government should work," he said.