[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 91 (Thursday, June 17, 2010)]
[House]
[Page H4619]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
POLITICAL HYSTERIA
(Mr. POE of Texas asked and was given permission to address the House
for 1 minute.)
Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Speaker, the administration's knee-jerk
banning of deepwater drilling for 6 months is the second disaster in
the gulf.
The government is intentionally putting companies out of business in
the gulf with this unscientific moratorium. There are 50,000 workers
who are losing their jobs due to government overreaction. The
administration is not only purposely putting blue collar workers out of
work; the government is sending those jobs to Brazil and to Indonesia.
In 2005, there was a BP refinery explosion in Texas City, Texas.
Fifteen people were killed; 180 were injured. The government did not
close all of the refineries for 6 months in the United States to
investigate the sins of BP then. That would have been foolish nonsense.
It would have destroyed jobs, the economy, and it would have caused the
loss of U.S. energy.
So investigate the rig explosion and hold BP accountable for their
conduct, but don't in a moment of political hysteria stop deepwater
drilling. Don't wipe out jobs, American companies, and sabotage the
U.S. economy.
And that's just the way it is.
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