{"id":23819,"date":"2022-10-20T13:51:08","date_gmt":"2022-10-20T20:51:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=23819"},"modified":"2022-10-20T13:51:10","modified_gmt":"2022-10-20T20:51:10","slug":"group-calls-for-us-ban-on-gasoline-exports-to-combat-big-oil-price-gouging","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2022\/10\/20\/group-calls-for-us-ban-on-gasoline-exports-to-combat-big-oil-price-gouging\/","title":{"rendered":"Group Calls for US Ban on Gasoline Exports to Combat Big Oil Price Gouging"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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An aerial view of the Phillips 66 oil refinery in Linden, New Jersey, United States is seen on May 11, 2022. (Photo: Tayfun Coskun\/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The fossil fuel industry has made obscene profits throughout a deadly global pandemic, and will continue this profiteering at the pump by promoting fuel exports when supplies are tight.”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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BRETT WILKINS<\/a> October 19, 2022 (CommonDreams.org)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The advocacy group Food<\/strong> & Water Watch on Wednesday urged the Biden administration to protect U.S. consumers from fossil fuel industry profiteering by moving to reinstate a long-standing ban on oil exports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“These corporations are simply deciding to make more money\u2014no matter the pain it causes here at home.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Americans have paid near-record prices at filling stations across the country this year\u2014the American Automobile Association reports<\/a> that gasoline is currently averaging $3.84 per gallon nationally, with five Western states paying $5 or more\u2014consumer advocates have accused<\/a> Big Oil of intentionally inflicting “pain at the pump” in order to boost profits at consumers’ literal expense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Common Dreams<\/em> reported<\/a> in July, eight fossil fuel companies raked in $52 billion in record second-quarter profits, a 235% increase over the previous year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The fossil fuel industry has made obscene profits throughout a deadly global pandemic and will continue this profiteering at the pump by promoting fuel exports when supplies are tight,” Food & Water Watch executive director Wenonah Hauter said<\/a> in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“This is highly profitable for them,” she added, “and absolutely disastrous for American families struggling with sky-high inflation.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to pushing<\/a> a windfall profits tax to combat both corporate avarice and the climate emergency, progressives are calling on U.S. President Joe Biden to reimpose a fuel export ban, which was in effect for 40 years until lifted<\/a> in 2015.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“These corporations are simply deciding to make more money\u2014no matter the pain it causes here at home,” said Hauter. “The White House should take proactive steps to ban gasoline exports to protect American consumers from Big Oil’s price gouging.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Proponents of an export ban say the policy would lower U.S. gas prices, and point to the crucial role<\/a> that booming exports have played in exacerbating domestic fuel costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the consumer advocacy group Public Citizen noted<\/a> in June, the 2015 law ending the U.S. export ban contains a provision enabling the president to unilaterally “impose export licensing requirements or other restrictions on the export of crude oil from the United States for a period of not more than one year, if the president declares a national emergency.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under a #ClimateEmergency<\/a> Biden can:
\u2705Reinstate the crude oil export ban
\u2705Restrict $$ investments in fossil fuels abroad
\u2705Direct disaster relief to distributed renewables

Tell Biden to use all his powers now! https:\/\/t.co\/zkWEnWhFEc<\/a><\/p>— CBD Climate (@CBD_Climate) October 12, 2022<\/a><\/blockquote>