[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 69 (Wednesday, May 18, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3063-S3064]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   OFFSHORE PRODUCTION AND SAFETY ACT

  Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, last night, Senate Democrats put 
forth a plan to raise taxes on American energy that, in their words, 
would have done nothing to lower the price of gas at the pump. As the 
chairman of the Finance Committee put it: ``That's not the issue.''
  I think for most Americans, high gas prices actually are the issue.
  According to a Gallup poll that came out this week, nearly 7 out of 
10 Americans say the high cost of gas at the pump is causing financial 
hardship for their families. More than half of Americans say they have 
made major changes to compensate for it. More than 1 in 5 say high gas 
prices are jeopardizing their standard of living.
  Americans are struggling. My constituents in Kentucky are hurting. 
They want relief, and all they are getting from Democrats in Washington 
is a dog and pony show. Their own Members admit their legislative 
proposals are gimmicks. They spent a week vilifying the energy industry 
and another week trying to punish them.
  The legislation they proposed yesterday would have done three things: 
destroy jobs, send American jobs overseas, and make us more dependent 
on foreign sources of oil. That is what yesterday's bill would have 
done.

[[Page S3064]]

  Democrats themselves admit it would not lower gas prices by a penny. 
So it is a fair question: What in the world are they doing? Once again, 
Democrats have been faced with a crisis and have done their best to 
turn it into a political exercise rather than doing something to 
actually help people and create jobs.
  They pushed a tax on energy because evidently some of their leaders 
think it polls well. So does Mother's Day. I would suggest Democrats 
spend a little more time looking at the price of gas at their local gas 
stations than at the latest polling numbers about class warfare 
rhetoric.
  At a time when Americans are genuinely struggling out there, the 
Democrats have chosen to waste 2 weeks making a political statement 
rather than in trying to make a difference.
  The American people deserve a lot better than that, and that is why 
Republicans have offered the Offshore Production and Safety Act of 
2011, which we will vote on later today.
  Our plan has basically three objectives; first, to restore American 
offshore production; second, to improve safety; third, to require 
bureaucrats in Washington to get to work on the permitting process to 
make a decision one way or the other.
  It would have three corresponding effects. First, and most important, 
our plan would help reduce the price of gas at the pump. By unlocking 
our own domestic resources and speeding up the permitting process, our 
plan would actually do something to increase supply, putting downward 
pressure on price. As the Democratic Senator from Missouri said 
yesterday: ``The more supply, the less the price.''
  It would also help alleviate our dependence on foreign sources of 
oil, and it would create thousands of energy jobs right here in America 
instead of sending them overseas, which is why this bill has the 
support of both the National Association of Manufacturers and the U.S. 
Chamber of Commerce.
  I have indicated what our bill does in general. Here are the 
specifics.
  In order to restore American offshore production, our plan directs 
the Secretary of the Interior to conduct previously scheduled offshore 
lease sales in the western and central Gulf of Mexico, Virginia, and 
Alaska. In addition, the plan will extend lease terms by 1 year for 
gulf leases which were suspended under the 2010 Obama moratorium.
  After the devastating oilspill we had last year in the gulf, 
improving safety is one of our highest priorities. That is why our bill 
amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to require all lessees to 
develop spill response and containment plans, establishes a public-
private task force on oilspill response and mitigation, and orders a 
study on Federal response to oilspills by the Comptroller General to 
examine capabilities and legal authorities related to spill prevention 
and response to clarify appropriate Federal roles.
  Finally, it is imperative we put in place a process that makes 
bureaucrats operate more efficiently on the crucial issuance of 
permits. That is why our plan puts time limits on the review of and 
decision on drilling permits, providing for 30 days of application 
review, with two opportunities for the Interior Department to extend 
the time period. Beyond that, it provides for a default approval if 
Interior does not reject the application within 60 days, and it directs 
the Interior Department to provide rationale for rejection of permits.
  This bill is not our last on this crisis. We could do a lot more to 
increase production here at home, and we should. But it offers 
solutions, and every provision in this bill has bipartisan support.
  At a time of near record gas prices, this is a modest approach, a 
good first step that takes everyone's concerns into account so we can 
actually achieve a practical result.
  That is what Americans want. It is time to stop pointing fingers. It 
is time to stop picking winners and losers. It is time to stop telling 
Americans what is best for them.
  It is time to stop holding Americans back with moratoriums, fees, 
bureaucratic roadblocks, and the ever-expanding reach of a President 
who seems to think business owners in this country need to get his 
permission first if they want to create jobs.
  Every single American is feeling the pain at the pump, Democrats and 
Republicans alike. It is time for the two parties to come together and 
get serious about results. I urge all my colleagues to support the 
Offshore Production and Safety Act of 2011.
  I yield the floor.

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