[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 26 (Thursday, February 17, 2011)]
[House]
[Page H1074]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       THE DE FACTO DRILLING MORATORIUM IS DESTROYING OUR ECONOMY

  (Mr. PALAZZO asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. PALAZZO. Mr. Speaker, last week written across America's 
newspapers were headlines of how Egyptians stood up to what they viewed 
as a restrictive and arbitrary government.
  Perhaps those protests should serve as a wake-up call for us all, if 
for no other reason than for where they took place. You see, just east 
of Cairo is the Suez Canal and SuMed pipeline, which combined carry 
nearly 5 million barrels of oil a day to countries around the world. 
Egypt's future remains uncertain, and because of the restrictive and 
arbitrary anti-drilling policies imposed by President Obama, so does 
the future for thousands of families in south Mississippi. By refusing 
to issue new drilling permits this administration continues to impose a 
de facto moratorium on U.S.-based companies, which is having a 
devastating effect on gulf coast families.
  Having worked on an offshore platform, I know firsthand the impact 
those jobs have on a local economy. Without drilling in the gulf, many 
small businesses will suffer as more jobs are lost and the effect of 
those lost wages trickle throughout the economy.
  Mr. Speaker, you don't ground the entire airline industry when 
there's an airplane crash. Now is the time for this administration to 
do what's right for the American people by allowing further offshore 
exploration and reducing our reliance on foreign sources of oil.

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