RAILROAD COMMISSION OF TEXAS
NEWS RELEASE - JUNE 20, 2008

COMMISSIONER CARRILLO, NATIONAL OCS POLICY COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN, URGES CONGRESS TO LIFT DRILLING MORATORIA

AUSTIN, June 20, 2008 — This week, both Senator John McCain and President George W. Bush urged Congress to lift existing oil and gas drilling bans on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) as a critical step toward increasing domestic energy supplies in response to soaring prices.  

As a statewide elected official at the helm of the agency overseeing the Texas energy sector and as Chairman of the OCS Policy Committee – a national advisory committee to the U.S. Secretary of the Interior – I applaud and wholeheartedly support President Bush and Senator McCain in their bold efforts to push Congress to open up areas of the OCS to exploration and production of domestic oil and natural gas as well as to alternative energy like wind power. The nation’s voracious thirst for energy to fuel our economy demands continued and expanding development of all domestic energy sources including those found underneath the waters of the OCS. Without question, today’s high-tech advancements allow for safe, responsible, and environmentally sound development of these reserves.

As U.S. oil imports have risen to about 60%, our growing dependence on foreign oil is a national security risk. Therefore, in addition to pursuing conservation efforts and alternative energy development, we must make full use of our own oil and natural gas resources. The more we drill in our own backyard, on American soil, the less we will have to import from foreign sources. This is a national energy security imperative.

Texas is the premier energy producing state in the nation – producing more oil and natural gas than any other state – and the Texas energy sector contributes mightily to our nation’s economy. In 2007, Texas produced over 7 trillion cubic feet of natural gas – approximately 38% of total domestic U.S. production of that valuable resource. However, Texas alone cannot solve this brewing energy crisis. By opening new areas of our country up for development we will decrease the price of energy for all citizens at time when Americans need it most.

Governor Rick Perry appointed Commissioner Carrillo to the Texas Railroad Commission in 2003. In November 2004, he won his first statewide election garnering almost 3.9 million votes and making him the highest-ranking elected Hispanic official in Texas. Carrillo was Chairman of the Texas Energy Planning Council that created a Texas Energy Plan to help ensure that Texas remains the premier energy producing state in the nation.