[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 10]
[House]
[Page 13886]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          DOMESTIC EXPLORATION

  (Mr. BARRETT of South Carolina asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. BARRETT of South Carolina. Madam Speaker, I got a call yesterday 
from a constituent in my district who said he saw me speaking on the 
floor about domestic energy, and he was relieved. He was relieved 
because someone in Congress understood the effects that high gas prices 
are having on real families all over this country, because he didn't 
think anybody was paying attention. Well, guess what? Some people are 
paying attention.
  We need to be looking at resources here at home to solve our energy 
problems. The United States Minerals Management Service found out that, 
out of our 1.76-billion-acre Outer Continental Shelf, only 3 percent is 
leased to oil and gas exploration, and nearly 85 percent of the lower 
48 OCS remains untapped.
  Madam Speaker, we can explore our domestic resources safely and 
effectively so we will not harm our environment.
  I and my Republican colleagues will continue to talk about domestic 
exploration because we do have solutions, and somebody is listening.

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