OFFICE OF THE MAJORITY LEADER

TRANSCRIPT

Discusses Oil & Gas Drilling on House Floor
August 7, 2008

... PRODUCTION IS NOT OCCURRING. NO ONE IS HOLDING OIL AT $140 A BARREL. I RESERVE THE BALANCE OF MY TIME. THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE: THE GENTLEMAN RESERVES. THE GENTLEMAN FROM WEST VIRGINIA. MR. RAHALL: MR. SPEAKER, I'M VERY HONORED AND PROUD TO YIELD AT THIS TIME ONE YEAR TO OUR SUPERB MAJORITY LEADER, THE GENTLEMAN FROM MARYLAND, MR. HOYER. THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE: THE MAJORITY LEADER'S RECOGNIZED. MR. HOYER: I THANK MY FRIEND FOR YIELDING AND THANK HIM FOR BRINGING THIS BILL TO THE FLOOR. DRILL RESPONSIBLY IN LEASED LANDS. THE ASSERTION WAS THAT DEMOCRATS ARE NOT FOR DRILLING. THIS GIVES LIE TO THAT ASSERTION. THIS SAYS, AS WE HAVE BEEN SAYING, THERE ARE 88 MILLION ACRES AVAILABLE FOR DRILLING RIGHT NOW. THOSE ACRES ARE SUBJECT TO LAWSUIT, MY FRIEND SAYS. ANY ACREAGE WOULD BE SUBJECT TO LAWSUITS. THIS ACREAGE IS SUBJECT TO THE AVAILABILITY OF DRILLS. BLACK AND DECKER OR OTHERWISE. WHAT BE A ABSURD, SAY TO MY FRIEND, ASSERTION. THERE ARE NO DRILLS AVAILABLE CURRENTLY TO DRILL IN NEW LANDS HERE OR OTHER PLACES. THE MINORITY LEADER, I PRESUME, IS GOING TO BE SPEAKING IN SOME FEW MINUTES. HE SAID THIS, THEY'RE, MEANING THE DEMOCRATS, OFFERING EXCUSES DESIGNED TO GET PEOPLE THINKING ABOUT SOMETHING OTHER THAN DRILLING. THEY WORSHIP AT THE ALTER OF RADICAL ENVIRONMENTALISTS. THIS IS, OF COURSE, THE CROWD THAT SAID GLOBAL WARMING DIDN'T EXIST UNTIL JUST A FEW MONTHS AGO. THIS IS THE CROWD THAT HAS BEEN IN CHARGE OF THE WHITE HOUSE FOR THE LAST 7 1/2 YEARS. THE GENTLEMAN FROM NEW MEXICO SAYS, GEE WHIZ, LET'S BRING THE PRICE OF GASOLINE DOWN. THEY HAVE AN ENERGY POLICY, WHICH THEY CAME UP WITH, UNDER DICK CHENEY. SOME PEOPLE SAID IT FAILED. I'M NOT SURE THE OIL COMPANIES THOUGHT IT FAILED. IT WAS $1.46 WHEN THEY BROUGHT UP THE POLICY. NOW IT'S $4 AT THE PUMP. THE OIL COMPANIES HAVE MADE THE BIGGEST PROFITS IN THEIR HISTORY. ASSERTION MR. BOEHNER SAID, OF COURSE, AS I SAID, WE WORSHIP AT THE ALTER OF RADICAL ENVIRONMENTALISTS. LET ME QUOTE ONE OF THOSE RADICAL ENVIRONMENTALISTS. I'VE BEEN AN OIL MAN MY WHOLE LIFE, BUT THIS IS ONE ENERGY WE CAN'T DRILL OUR WAY OUT OF. THAT RADICAL ENVIRONMENTALIST NAME IS T. BOONE PICKENS. AND AS HE SAID EARLIER IN THAT STATEMENT, I'VE BEEN AN OIL MAN ALL MY LIFE, HE UNDERSTANDS WHAT CAN AND CANNOT BE DONE. THIS BILL SAYS, LET'S DRILL, LET'S GET AMERICAN PRODUCT TO AMERICAN CONSUMERS AND TRY TO BRING DOWN PRICES. WE'VE ALSO ASK THAT THE SPRO BE RELEASED. NOT ALL OF IT. MAINTAIN MOST OF IT. WHY? TO BRING PRICES DOWN. TO FREE THE OIL THE AMERICANS HAVE BOUGHT FOR THEIR USE AND TO BRING PRICES DOWN. THE AMERICANS BEING PUMMELED BY $4 GAS, IT'S HIGH TIME THAT AMERICA DID JUST THAT. WITH THE PASSAGE OF THE DRILL BILL, AMERICA WILL MOVE DECISIVELY TO INCREASE ITS DOMESTIC OIL PRODUCTION. NOW, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN OF THE HOUSE, ISN'T IT AN IRONIC HAPPENSTANCE THAT THE DAY BEFORE WE PUT THIS BILL ON THE FLOOR, 24 HOURS BEFORE WE PUT THIS BILL ON THE FLOOR AND SAY LET'S DRILL IN THE NATIONAL PETROLEUM RESERVE, ISN'T IT IRONIC THAT THE WHITE HOUSE ANNOUNCES THEY'RE GOING TO DO JUST THAT? MY, MY, MY. WHAT AN AWFUL IDEA WE HAD. RIGHT UP UNTIL THE TIME 24 HOURS AGO WHEN THE ADMINISTRATION DECIDED THEY'D DO IT. I'M GLAD THEY'VE DONE IT. AND IF OUR ACTIONS SPURRED THEIR ACTION, SO BE IT. AND WE'RE GOING TO TAKE CREDIT BECAUSE THEY'VE BEEN IN OFFICE FOR 7 1/2 YEARS. THEY TOOK IT 24 HOURS AGO. WHAT WAS THE REACTION OF THE OIL INDUSTRY? THEY WERE HAPPY. NOW, NOBODY IS SAYING IF YOU HAVE LAND OVER HERE YOU GOT TO USE IT BEFORE YOU GET LAND OVER HERE. WHAT WE'RE SAYING IS YOU CAN'T INVENTORY LAND. YOU CAN'T INVENTORY ACREAGE. YOU CAN'T BE A HUGE RICH OIL COMPANY AND NOT HAVE COMPETITION. WE ARE SAYING THAT. YES, WE ARE. WE THINK THAT MAKES GOOD SENSE...