ENERGY

Support Claimed for Lifting Alaska Oil Export Ban: U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) said he believes President Clinton supports lifting the 2-decades-old federal ban on export of Alaskan oil. But Administration officials confirmed that an interagency working group coordinated by the National Economic Council is still reviewing the matter. “What I heard (Clinton) say was, ‘We think it ought to be done,’ ” Stevens said after Clinton met in Washington with lawmakers from oil-producing areas to discuss problems in the domestic oil and natural gas industry. Separately, Energy Secretary Hazel O’Leary said concerns about international trade issues--raised by the proposed deal to ensure that U.S. ships and crews tanker any exported oil--were the holdup. “We’re going to spend some time with our colleagues at the U.S. trade representative’s office,” O’Leary said.