Conyers Opposes Ill-Conceived Oil Drilling Legislation

Washington, DC - Congressman John Conyers, Jr. gave the following statement today regarding his "no" vote on H.R. 4761, the "Domestic Energy Production through Offshore Exploration and Equitable Treatment of State Holdings Act of 2006":

"Once again, Congress wants to give a handout to Big Oil and jeopardize the environment instead of working for an energy policy that would benefit all Americans. The oil companies and their Republican partners in Congress are seeking to exploit our concern over high oil prices to force through a controversial, destructive, ill-conceived measure.

This legislation will allow big oil and gas companies to profit by bribing coastal states to lift their drilling bans with the promise of quick cash in the form of royalties. H.R. 4761 would make these monies available by shifting off-shore drilling royalties from the federal government to the states. The Bush Administration's own Minerals and Management Service (MMS) has estimated that this bill could cost the federal government $600 billion in lost royalty revenues over the next sixty years. The only reason we're even able to consider this bill is because the Republicans waived the rules that normally protect the taxpayers from deficit spending and new entitlements.

Of course, states that choose not to open their coasts to drilling would receive no royalties. But oil spills do not respect political boundaries. An offshore spill from one state could easily cripple the coastal economies of its neighbors. Those states that choose to protect their sensitive shorelines from drilling would still have to face the consequences of their neighboring state's decision to allow the oil companies in.

The sponsors of this bill claim that their proposal poses no threat to the environment. Yet, the bill drops the requirement for oil and gas companies to prepare an environmental impact statement in order to get a lease for drilling. Not only would H.R. 4761 expose more of our coastline to environmental destruction, it would free oil and gas companies from existing requirements to clean up their operations and restore the drilling site when they are finished with it. Unbelievably, it would allow the oil companies to dump their abandoned oil rigs in the ocean. Make no mistake about it: this bill is a blank check to Big Oil, and the price will be paid by ordinary Americans.

This bill is no way to solve America's energy crisis. Congress has set and sustained a precedent for wise stewardship of our sensitive coastlines for the last 25 years, knowing that one offshore oil spill would cripple our pristine beaches, fisheries and coastal economies. Let's not permanently terminate this time-honored tradition by giving away America's coasts to the highest bidder."

###6-29-2006###