110 HRES 1282 IH: Encouraging the President to revoke the U.S. House of Representatives 2008-06-18 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.

IV 110th CONGRESS 2d Session H. RES. 1282 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES June 18, 2008 Mr. Tim Murphy of Pennsylvania submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources RESOLUTION Encouraging the President to revoke the Executive memorandum banning energy production on America’s Outer Continental Shelf.

Whereas the average price of gasoline was $2.33 at the beginning of the 110th Congress and since that time the average price of gasoline has risen as much as 74 percent; Whereas families of all income levels are deeply affected by the rising prices, with low income and fixed income households being hurt the most from rising food and energy prices; Whereas the increased cost of fuel for manufacturing and transportation has negatively impacted the ability of American employers to compete with the price of products made in other countries and in many instances the higher prices are forcing businesses to locate some or all of their production overseas; Whereas the United States imports 2.2 billion barrels of crude oil per year from nations in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Counties (OPEC); Whereas the economy and the national security of the United States are threatened by our reliance on OPEC and that the United States should never relinquish control of its economic security and national security to other nations; Whereas the United States has abundant energy resources on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), and has developed a comprehensive framework of environmental laws and regulations and fostered the development of state-of-the-art technology that allows for the responsible development of these resources for the benefit of its citizenry; Whereas the Minerals Management Service estimates the American OCS contains at least 86 billion barrels of oil and 420 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, although much of that area is currently blocked from exploration or surveying, thereby inhibiting a more comprehensive assessment of energy reserves; Whereas Cuba has extended the option to many nations, including China, to obtain oil and gas leases as close as 50 miles off the coast of Florida while current United States policy prohibits oil exploration as far as 200 miles off the coast of the United States; Whereas several countries, including the United Kingdom, Brazil, Ireland, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Japan, and Norway, allow exploration along their OCS; Whereas, on May 13, 2008, the House of Representatives passed legislation to suspend contributions to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, thereby agreeing that the supply of oil is linked to the price of gasoline; Whereas 67 percent of the American people support more American-made energy by revoking leasing restrictions on the OCS; Whereas section 12 of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act permits the President to prohibit energy exploration off our coasts; Whereas an Executive moratorium last extended in 1998 by President Clinton prohibits the development of our resources until 2012; and Whereas the President of the United States may revoke this prohibition: Now, therefore, be it

That the House of Representatives— (1)encourages the President to revoke the Executive memorandum banning energy production on the United States Outer Continental Shelf; and (2)urges the President to work with Congress to increase the production of American energy.