WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R – Alaska) has applauded the U.S. Department of Commerce’s confirmation that the agency did in fact issue a cross-border oil exchange license with Mexico.

“I welcome the Department of Commerce’s approval of a license to exchange oil across the border with Mexico, following more than a year of urging by me and a bipartisan, bicameral coalition to do so,” Murkowski said. “Although it took two months from the time of the favorable announcement to any actual approvals, this is a long-awaited step in the right direction. We must move expeditiously to modernize our broader oil export policy and lift the ban on sales to our friends and allies.”

On Oct. 22, Murkowski sent a letter to Commerce Secretary Pritzker inquiring if any oil exchange transactions had been approved following the administration’s August announcement that it intended to do so. In her response, dated Nov. 16, Pritzker confirmed that no oil exchanges were approved until Oct. 22, the very same day of Murkowski’s letter.

Murkowski, chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, is a leading advocate in Congress for lifting the federal prohibition on crude oil exports in order to maximize the nation’s energy and economic security. She included language ending the outdated export ban in her Offshore Production and National Security (OPENS) Act, which was approved by the energy committee at the end of July.