Lifting Federal Oil Export Ban Could Have Significant Impact On New Jersey

TRENTON, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- The big spending bill Congress compromised on last month ends a 40-year ban on oil exports.

So what does that mean for the New Jersey area?

As WCBS 880's Kelly Waldron reported, if a proposed pipeline from Albany, New York, to Linden is completed, opponents say there is no doubt it would mean more oil-filled tanker trains traveling through the region, which environmentalists say would mean more dirty fossil fuel infrastructure in neighborhoods.

And since New Jersey already has the infrastructure to handle tanker ships, the state could also see more oil coming through terminals for export.

It's not known what the lifting of the ban would mean for gas prices, whether it'll force refineries in the Northeast to lose business or whether pressure would grow to allow oil drilling in the Atlantic Ocean, a move many lawmakers in New Jersey vehemently oppose.