Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Charles W. Boustany, Jr., (R-Southwest Louisiana), today applauded a ruling to allow deepwater oil and gas production to continue, overturning a moratorium, which threatened thousands of Louisiana jobs.  U.S. District Court Judge Martin Feldman ruled the federal government acted arbitrarily and failed to consult with the state government before enacting the moratorium.

"Today’s ruling shows the knee-jerk reaction the Administration decided to take instead of a thoughtful approach,” said Boustany. “Thousands of jobs throughout Southwest Louisiana depend on offshore energy production, and America relies on the energy we produce.  This moratorium made our country more dependent on foreign sources of oil and gas while threatening thousands of jobs.  As the Administration moves forward, they must act responsibly to balance our energy, economic and environmental needs.  Today’s ruling is only a start to restoring offshore production, but it is an important start.”

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