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        |  | CONCURRENT RESOLUTION | 
      
        |  | WHEREAS, The efficient exploration, production, and | 
      
        |  | transportation of oil in Texas prevents waste of the state's | 
      
        |  | natural resources, contributes to the health, welfare, and safety | 
      
        |  | of the general public, and promotes the prosperity of the state; and | 
      
        |  | WHEREAS, The tax revenues and economic prosperity deriving | 
      
        |  | from this Texas energy renaissance have greatly benefited Texas | 
      
        |  | public schools, higher education, critical infrastructure | 
      
        |  | development, and public health and safety programs; and | 
      
        |  | WHEREAS, Improved technologies and abundant resources have | 
      
        |  | made America the world's leading oil and natural gas producer, | 
      
        |  | overtaking Saudi Arabia and Russia; and | 
      
        |  | WHEREAS, The 1970s-era federal law prohibiting crude oil | 
      
        |  | exports is a relic from an era of scarcity and flawed price control | 
      
        |  | policies; and | 
      
        |  | WHEREAS, Allowing American crude oil exports will strengthen | 
      
        |  | U.S. geopolitical influence by giving our trading partners a more | 
      
        |  | secure source of supply, and allowing the export of American crude | 
      
        |  | oil will make our allies less dependent on crude oil from Russia and | 
      
        |  | the Middle East; and | 
      
        |  | WHEREAS, The world's other major developed nations allow | 
      
        |  | crude oil exports, making America the only nation that does not take | 
      
        |  | full advantage of trading a valuable resource in what is an | 
      
        |  | otherwise global free market; and | 
      
        |  | WHEREAS, Crude oil exports will benefit America's national | 
      
        |  | security interests by decreasing the likelihood that global oil | 
      
        |  | supply can be used internationally as a strategic weapon; and | 
      
        |  | WHEREAS, Numerous studies have found that allowing American | 
      
        |  | crude oil into the world's free market will benefit U.S. trade and | 
      
        |  | American consumers while creating more high-paying jobs for Texans | 
      
        |  | to fill; and | 
      
        |  | WHEREAS, According to an analysis by the American Petroleum | 
      
        |  | Institute, Texas will lead all states in job growth following the | 
      
        |  | repeal of the ban, with an estimated 40,291 jobs by 2020; and | 
      
        |  | WHEREAS, Other studies have similarly found tremendous | 
      
        |  | prospective GDP growth from lifting the 1970s-era ban; and | 
      
        |  | WHEREAS, The United States is the largest exporter of refined | 
      
        |  | petroleum products and would benefit even more substantially from | 
      
        |  | the export of both crude oil and refined petroleum products; and | 
      
        |  | WHEREAS, At least seven independent studies have confirmed | 
      
        |  | that repealing the ban on American crude oil exports will lower U.S. | 
      
        |  | gas prices, benefiting Texas consumers and businesses; and | 
      
        |  | WHEREAS, Thousands of small and large Texas businesses that | 
      
        |  | support oil and gas development will benefit from ongoing | 
      
        |  | production; and | 
      
        |  | WHEREAS, Manufacturers will benefit from less volatility in | 
      
        |  | energy costs; and | 
      
        |  | WHEREAS, The technology and brainpower behind the American | 
      
        |  | energy renaissance was mostly pioneered in Texas by Texans; and | 
      
        |  | WHEREAS, Encouraging a global marketplace that is more free | 
      
        |  | from artificial barriers will better allow the export of Texas | 
      
        |  | leadership and expertise, which will also ultimately economically | 
      
        |  | benefit Texas, the rest of the United States, and our friends around | 
      
        |  | the world; now, therefore, be it | 
      
        |  | RESOLVED, That the 84th Legislature of the State of Texas | 
      
        |  | hereby urge the United States Congress and the president of the | 
      
        |  | United States to recognize that crude oil exports and free trade are | 
      
        |  | in the national interest and take all necessary steps to eliminate | 
      
        |  | the current ban on crude oil exports; and, be it further | 
      
        |  | RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official | 
      
        |  | copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to | 
      
        |  | the U.S. secretary of commerce, to the U.S. secretary of energy, to | 
      
        |  | the majority leader of the Senate and the speaker of the House of | 
      
        |  | Representatives of the United States Congress, and to all the | 
      
        |  | members of the Texas delegation to Congress with the request that | 
      
        |  | this resolution be entered in the Congressional Record as a | 
      
        |  | memorial to the Congress of the United States of America. |