[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 17]
[House]
[Page 22512]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            OFFSHORE ENERGY

  (Mr. BROWN of South Carolina asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. BROWN of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, last year Congress and 
President Bush announced an end to the decade-long ban on offshore 
drilling. But the Obama administration stopped progress on meeting our 
Nation's energy needs by instituting an extended 6-month public comment 
period.
  That period ended Monday, but according to the Secretary of the 
Interior, Ken Salazar, expanded offshore drilling may not happen until 
2012, turning a 6-month delay into a 3-year ban. With the unemployment 
rate well over 9 percent nationwide and close to 12 percent in South 
Carolina, it is irresponsible for the administration to ignore the 
economic benefits that will come with America's energy production.
  According to recent reports, drilling in the Outer Continental Shelf 
could generate $8 trillion in gross domestic products over the next 30 
years, 1.2 million American jobs and $70 billion in wages annually. In 
South Carolina alone, offshore exploration could generate up to $250 
million in revenue annually, and would create over 2,000 jobs in the 
Palmetto State.
  Mr. Speaker, we need to be sure that we are able to continue to 
develop our resources.

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