WASHINGTON, July 31 (UPI) -- Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., has asked the Treasury Department to block a merger that would give royalty-free U.S. oil to China.
In a letter to the department sent Monday, Markey said the merger between Chinese oil company CNOOC Ltd. and Canadian firm Nexen Inc., should be blocked "until, at a minimum, parties to the merger agree to pay royalties to the U.S. taxpayer on all oil produced off American shores or relinquish any ownership interest in these leases."