The tumble in oil prices is opening a rift in the petroleum industry, which often links arms in Washington against common enemies like tax increases and drilling limits.
The issue: A debate on whether to end a 1970’s-era ban on most exports of oil pumped from the U.S. Drillers want the restrictions to end, in the face of a 40 percent price drop over the past year. Refiners enjoying a surge in profits from the cheap oil want to keep them in place.
