"The White House yesterday left the door open to revisiting the nearly four-decade-old limits on crude exports, saying after a landmark Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing on the ban that it is "closely monitoring the implications" of surging U.S. oil production."

"Even the handful of advocates for tweaking the export ban, led by ENR Committee ranking Republican Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, do not expect Congress to wade into the politically volatile topic, and urge President Obama to use existing executive branch authority to ease the nation's growing glut of light shale oil.

Asked to comment on the hearing, Obama spokesman Matt Lehrich did not rule out such a move."

Elana Schor reports for Environment & Energy Daily January 31, 2014. [2]