[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 37 (Friday, March 11, 2011)]
[House]
[Pages H1754-H1755]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             LEASE EXTENSION AND SECURE ENERGY ACT OF 2011

  (Mr. FLORES asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. FLORES. Mr. Speaker, unemployment is still at nearly 9 percent, 
$4 gasoline is on the way, and the Obama administration still doesn't 
get it. They've locked up our domestic energy resources through the 
recently issued Wild Lands order, which had no congressional authority, 
and they continue to pursue regulatory drilling moratoria.

[[Page H1755]]

  Every developed country in the world looks to their own resources to 
fuel their economies. We have access to resources that dwarf the 
Strategic Petroleum Reserve, and we can finally put our country on a 
path to energy independence. The United States has vast energy 
resources on our public lands and off our coasts that belong to the 
taxpayers.
  This is why I've introduced the Lease Extension and Secure Energy Act 
of 2011. This bill would extend offshore leases impacted by the Obama 
administration's drilling moratorium for an additional 12 months. This 
legislation would return time lost during the drilling moratorium, 
adding certainty so domestic producers can continue exploration without 
a looming lease expiration.
  We need the stability that comes from an all-of-the-above energy 
approach. We need a commonsense energy policy that brings stability to 
the marketplace, creates good paying American jobs, grows our economy, 
reduces our dependence on foreign oil, and raises trillions of dollars 
to help pay off our growing $14 trillion national debt. We owe this to 
our children and to our grandchildren.

                          ____________________