Nation IN BRIEF : WASHINGTON : Clinton Lifts Ban on Alaska Oil Exports

President Clinton lifted a 23-year-old ban on exporting Alaska’s North Slope oil, but imposed conditions aimed at protecting the environment. Under the conditions, ships must remain outside a 200-mile economic zone so they stay far from mainland coastal waters and from environmentally sensitive areas along the Aleutian Islands. Ships also must be equipped with satellite communications systems to permit Coast Guard monitoring. Previously, Alaska oil could go only to West Coast ports or be shipped East, dampening production in both Alaska and in California, where producers competed with the available Alaska oil.