HOUSTON, June 3 (Reuters) - Continental Resources has asked the U.S. government for a permit to export crude oil it produces in North Dakota and hopes approvals will be granted for the industry as a whole, a company executive said on Tuesday.

Stephen Bradley, the vice president of oil marketing for Continental, the leading producer in North Dakota's Bakken field, said the Department of Commerce has been weighing the company's request for several months, Argus Media reported.

Surging U.S. oil output has prompted many in the industry to call for the lifting of restrictions on crude exports that were put in place after the 1973 Arab oil embargo.

Continental did not respond to a request for comment.

(Reporting By Houston Newsroom)