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Domestic Energy Production

I support increasing our domestic oil and gas supply. As you know, the U.S. Department of Interior’s Mineral Management Service is accepting public comment on the proposed five-year leasing program for Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) oil and natural gas exploration and production. The public comment is open through September 18, 2009.

This new five-year lease program will accelerate lease sales in the OCS from the current lease-sale schedule. The United States has previously taken steps to increase domestic drilling. Since 2000, the number of wells drilled on federal land has increased by 66 percent, from 3,000 wells to nearly 5,000.

I have voted several times in support of domestic drilling. In December 2006, Congress approved and the President signed into law legislation (P.L. 109-432) which opened 8.3 million acres in the Gulf of Mexico to the west of Florida to oil and gas leases. I voted for this legislation.

On September 16, 2008, I voted for H.R. 6899, the Comprehensive American Energy Security and Consumer Protection Act, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives by a vote of 236 to 189. This legislation was not acted on by the U.S. Senate.

The Comprehensive American Energy Security and Consumer Protection Act would open at least 319 million acres in the OCS and 22.6 million acres in Alaska to drilling. The bill would also invest in alternative energy sources like wind, solar, and biomass, to help end our addition to oil. The legislation would also end the billions in taxpayer subsidies to the world’s largest oil companies when they are making record profits. A federal ban on oil and gas drilling in and under the Great Lakes would remain in place.

Also, on September 24, 2008, I voted for the Continuing Resolution (H.R. 2638), which ended the ban on OCS drilling that has been in place since 1981. As a result, drilling can now take place anywhere more than three miles off the East or West Coast.

While I support responsible domestic drilling, we cannot drill our way out of high energy prices. The United States has less than 2 percent of the world’s oil reserves, but uses 24 percent of the world’s oil.

Much more must be done to diversify our energy use. Congress must continue working to promote alternative energy sources such as ethanol, biodiesel, wind, solar, geothermal, and nuclear to help reduce our dependence on foreign energy. As a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, I will continue to work to diversify our nation’s energy portfolio, to help ease high energy prices.