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Van Hollen Statement on H.R. 6082, the Congressional Replacement of President Obama's Energy-Restricting and Job-Limiting Offshore Drilling Plan
Washington,
Jul 25, 2012 -
Mr. Speaker, domestic oil production is at an 18 year high, and President Obama’s “All of the Above” energy strategy has reduced our reliance on foreign oil from 57 percent of consumption during the last year of the Bush Administration to 45 percent today. We now have 50 percent more floating drilling rigs operating in the Gulf of Mexico than we did before the BP oil spill – and more rigs operating in the United States than the rest of the world combined. The Administration’s existing 2012-2017 offshore drilling lease plan makes more than 75 percent of our offshore oil and gas resources available for drilling, and the Interior Department reports that oil and gas companies already possess 26 million acres in the Gulf of Mexico containing 18 billion barrels of oil that have yet to be developed.
Yet here we are for the eleventh time in the past eighteen months wasting valuable floor time on another drill bill that has absolutely zero chance of becoming law when our nation’s fiscal cliff looms, and Americans are looking to their government for effective leadership so we can accelerate economic growth and put people back to work. These fundamental defects are further compounded by the conspicuous absence of any safety or royalty reform in this legislation, and the majority’s insistence on gutting environmental review for the additional lease sales this legislation requires – including lease sales off the mid-Atlantic coast as early as 2013.
I support the responsible development of our nation's oil and gas resources as part of a comprehensive "All of the Above" energy strategy that emphasizes a greater use of renewables, efficiency and other clean energy sources over time. The forced lease sales in this legislation do not constitute responsible development, and the "Oil Above All" strategy advanced by the majority in this legislation and throughout this Congress is ultimately a prescription for energy dependence and economic decline.
I urge a no vote, and I yield back the balance of my time.
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Congressman Chris Van Hollen
