[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 63 (Friday, May 19, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E911]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT AND RELATED AGENCIES 
                        APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2007

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                               speech of

                            HON. STEVE KING

                                of iowa

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 18, 2006

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 5386) making 
     appropriations for the Department of the Interior, 
     environment, and related agencies for the fiscal year ending 
     September 30, 2007, and for other purposes:

  Mr. KING of Iowa. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of 
Congressman Poe's amendment to open the outer continual shelf (OCS) to 
oil and gas exploration. Opening the OCS to exploration would expand 
America's energy pie. The Gulf of Mexico OCS has been producing oil and 
natural gas since the 1950s. Virtually all of the oil and natural gas 
produced from the OCS is from the Central and Western sections of the 
Gulf of Mexico. The 1.5 million barrels per day of oil from the Central 
and Western Gulf of Mexico OCS is equivalent to our imports from Saudi 
Arabia. Imagine if we expanded OCS production and could cut out Saudi 
Arabian imports altogether. No more subsidies for radical Islamists who 
are intent on harming Americans.
  Currently 4.4 trillion cubic feet of natural gas is produced annually 
from the Central and Western Gulf of Mexico. To put that impressive 
number into perspective, the undiscovered resources on the federal OCS, 
that could be recovered with today's technology, is estimated at 420 
trillion cubic feet, almost 100 percent more than current production.
  While the Central and Western sections of the Gulf of Mexico OCS have 
been the workhorse of oil and natural gas production, Mineral 
Management Service and the Department of Energy forecast that, without 
expanded access beyond the Central and Western Gulf of Mexico, the 
growth in deepwater production will not be able to offset declines in 
shallow water production for more than a few years.
  U.S. energy policy has not sufficiently emphasized the importance of 
developing domestic oil and natural gas supplies which are essential to 
our economic growth and to our energy security. Supporting Congressman 
Poe's amendment is the right first step in the domestic production of 
energy.

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