[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 112 (Wednesday, July 25, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1325]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 CONGRESSIONAL REPLACEMENT OF PRESIDENT OBAMA'S ENERGY-RESTRICTING AND 
                  JOB-LIMITING OFFHSORE DRILLING PLAN

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. FORTNEY PETE STARK

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 24, 2012

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the state of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 6082) to 
     officially replace, within the 60-day Congressional review 
     period under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, President 
     Obama's Proposed Final Outer Continental Shelf Oil & Gas 
     Leasing Program (2012-2017) with a congressional plan that 
     will conduct additional oil and natural gas lease sales to 
     promote offshore energy development, job creation, and 
     increased domestic energy production to ensure a more secure 
     energy future in the United States, and for other purposes:

  Mr. STARK. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to H.R. 6082, the so-
called ``Congressional Replacement of President Obama's Energy-
Restricting and Job-Limiting Offshore Drilling Plan.'' This bill opens 
up nearly every last piece of our public lands to drilling, giving even 
more to Big Oil. The bill would require oil and gas leasing off the 
East Coast, from Maine to South Carolina, off of Southern California 
and in the important fishery of Bristol Bay off Alaska. It opens up 
California's coastline to oil and gas companies as early as 2013. If 
this bill were to become law, areas that have previously been deemed 
off limits to oil development by state governments would be put up for 
lease.
  This bill also fails to secure safety reforms for offshore drilling, 
nor does it ensure that oil companies are paying their fair share to 
drill on public lands. The California Coastline is an international 
treasure and is one of the primary drivers of our state's economy. We 
must protect our coastlines and the vital ecosystems they embody. We 
cannot place it at risk of an oil spill or give it away to reckless, 
profit-seeking oil companies. We cannot and will not drill our way to 
energy independence. Continuing to make our cars more efficient, 
investing in clean and renewable energy, ending subsidies and tax 
breaks for the fossil fuel industry, and putting a price on carbon 
emissions is how we can obtain a secure and sustainable energy future.
  I urge my colleagues to oppose this senseless and harmful legislation 
by joining me in voting ``no.''

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