To clarify, a bill that would eliminate the crude oil export ban.

The Obama administration has formally threatened a veto on a House bill that would lift the federal ban on crude oil exports.

In a statement of administration policy, the Office of Management and Budget said that “legislation to remove crude export restrictions is not needed at this time.”

“Rather, Congress should be focusing its efforts on supporting our transition to a low-carbon economy,” the statement said. It added that instead of pushing crude oil exports, Congress should focus on “supporting our transition to a low-carbon economy.”

“It could do this through a variety of measures, including ending the billions of dollars a year in federal subsidies provided to oil companies and instead investing in wind, solar, energy efficiency, and other clean technologies to meet America’s energy needs.”

Right now, it looks like the House has the votes to override a veto, and the Senate seems close to a similar situation. The Obama Administration’s outright hostility to Democrats from energy-producing states (Hi, Mary!) has cost the Democrats in recent years, and with the lame duck presidency nearing its end, it’s only fitting that it goes all-in on moving away from traditional energy to untested alternative energies.

This appears to be an attempt to try and chisel something out of the bill, which Republican leadership could really turn into a major victory by telling the president to perform an action most human beings find impossible to perform.

Luckily, with the exception of Colorado (nine electoral votes, one Democratic Senator), West Virginia (five electoral votes, one Democratic Senator), Ohio (eighteen electoral votes, one Democratic Senator), and Pennsylvania (twenty electoral votes, one Democratic Senator), there shouldn’t be too big of a negative impact on the Democratic Party if Obama succeeds in getting his way.