House Passes Replacement for President Obama’s Dismal Offshore Energy Plan

Non-Partisan Congressional Research Service: President’s Plan Offers Lowest Number of Offshore Lease Sales in History
Jul 25, 2012 Issues: Energy, Marcellus Shale

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson today voted to support H.R. 6082, the Congressional Replacement of President Obama’s Energy-Restricting and Job-Limiting Offshore Drilling Plan. The bill passed the U.S. House by a vote of 253-170.

“The United States continues to move closer to energy security by utilizing new technologies to tap vast amounts of natural resources on state and private lands.  Meanwhile, the President has proposed policies that prevent the nation from realizing these same opportunities on taxpayer-owned federal lands,” said Rep. Thompson. “This bill replaces the President’s offshore development plan that blocks access to 85 percent of offshore lands with a plan that allows us to responsibly develop more of our domestic resources.”

Under current law, when any President proposes a new five-year offshore drilling plan it must be submitted to Congress for a mandatory 60-day review before it can be codified and go into effect. The President submitted his plan to Congress on June 28, 2012.

According to the non-partisan Congressional Research Service, the President’s plan offers the fewest number of lease sales of any offshore leasing plan in history. H.R. 6082 replaces the plan and makes 29 offshore leases available for sale, nearly double the President’s proposal.

“As Americans bear the burden of skyrocketing gasoline prices, this administration has continued to block domestic energy production, which is a critical component for any credible long-term plan to deal with our nation’s energy crisis,” Rep. Thompson added. “Opening up new areas to production of taxpayer-owned oil and gas will help provide a stable energy supply, create jobs, and generate additional revenue to the Treasury.”

On July 18, 2012, H.R. 6082 24-17 out of the House Natural Resources Committee, by a vote of 24-17.  Click here to view remarks delivered by Rep. Thompson earlier this week lauding the committee’s passage of the bill.  

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