By Valerie Volcovici
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio would lift the ban on exporting crude oil soon after taking office if he is elected, the Florida senator said Wednesday in a speech previewing his energy strategy.
"This ban is a perfect example of just how outdated Washington has become. Lifting the crude-oil export ban will be an immediate boon to our economy," Rubio told the Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association in Oklahoma City.
Rubio plans to lay out a more detailed energy agenda this autumn but in the speech highlighted some of his priorities, including lifting the four-decade ban on exporting domestic crude oil and blocking the Obama administration's Clean Power Plan - new carbon emission limits on power plants.
Rubio said that regulation would close coal plants, kill jobs and threaten electricity's reliability.
Rubio said his energy policy, which is a "crucial component" of his "New American Century" political platform, will relax rules to "unleash our energy potential" and emphasize innovation over regulation.
"Finding ways to empower our energy producers to capture our energy potential should be a priority for every presidential candidate," he said.
So far, several Republican presidential candidates, from Jeb Bush and Scott Walker to Rand Paul and Marco Rubio, have called for an end to the ban. A president can end the export ban without congressional approval.
Oil producers are pressing for a full repeal of the ban to keep the domestic drilling boom alive. The issue will be debated in Congress this fall, but sponsors of legislation to lift the ban need to secure more Democratic votes.
Rubio also took aim at Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, who he said vowed to double down on the Obama administration's Clean Power Plan.
On energy production, Rubio said Clinton offers "empty rhetoric" on energy policy "that refuses to chart much of a course in either direction."
Clinton has declined to reveal her position on the proposed and controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada, but has said she would go further than President Barack Obama in supporting clean power, and has parted with his administration's position favoring Arctic drilling.
"Hillary Clinton is fighting to protect the health of our families and the future of our planet while Marco Rubio and his Republican friends continue to deny the basic science of climate change and doubt America's capacity to become a clean energy super power," said Clinton spokesman Josh Schwerin.
Rubio warned the Oklahoma audience of "duplicative" federal regulations that threaten to hamstring states' energy production, such as proposed restrictions on hydraulic fracturing, commonly known as fracking.
Rubio said he supports some regulation to ensure clean air and water but that balancing economy and the environment relies on technology.
"It is private innovators, not government officials, who are best suited to discover cleaner, cheaper, and more efficient ways to access our resources," he said.