HOUSE Republican Leader John Boehner

Washington, Jan 16 - House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) today issued the following statement on the Bush Administration’s decision to allow for energy production in previously closed-off areas of the Outer Continental Shelf:

“I commend the Administration’s decision to take this critical step toward an ‘all of the above’ energy strategy on behalf of American workers and their families.  Environmentally-safe exploration of energy-rich areas far off our nation’s shores is not just smart energy policy, but also sound job-creation policy that has garnered the overwhelming support of the American people. 

“It is my hope that the incoming Administration does not reverse course, as some leading congressional Democrats have suggested, and lock up these valuable energy resources at a time when American workers and consumers so desperately need them.”

NOTE:  The Department of the Interior announced that it would open up 12 previously closed off areas of the Outer Continental Shelf.  Last summer, Congressional Republicans successfully fought to lift bans on offshore and oil shale energy production bans in Congress’ continuing resolution appropriations legislation passed in late September.  Increased American energy production is just one cornerstone of House Republicans’ American Energy Act (H.R. 6566), an “all of the above” plan to lower gas prices by encouraging more conservation and efficiency, promoting the use of more alterative and renewable fuels, and expanding drilling on remote lands and far off American shores in an environmentally-safe way.

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