Senators Eye Options To Close Oil Spill Tax Loophole After Keystone Vote

Republican and Democratic senators are exploring options for closing a loophole they say allows tar sands oil producers to avoid paying into the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund following broad support for a non-binding “sense of the Senate” amendment that was included in the Keystone XL pipeline bill approved Jan. 29. The Senate rejected an amendment by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) that would have expanded the definition of crude oil to include bitumen, thereby requiring tar sands oil producers to...