"Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said she will introduce a bill this year to end the 40-year-old ban on exporting crude oil.

Murkowski, chairwoman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, told energy executives Monday that the ban is severely holding U.S. producers back, Reuters reported.

'It’s time to lift America’s ban on crude oil exports,' Murkowski said at CERAWeek, a conference in Houston."

Timothy Cama reports for The Hill April 20, 2015. [2]