[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 15]
[Senate]
[Pages 22042-22043]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     BOEMRE PAPUA, NEW GUINEA VISIT

  Mr. VITTER. Mr. President, I rise to discuss an issue that is very 
important to Louisianians and folks along the gulf coast and very 
important to the entire country, which is continuing the de facto 
moratorium--the ``permatorium'' is what many folks have called it--in 
terms of drilling, energy production in the Gulf of Mexico.
  There is one particular headline I want to point out in this context 
that is very frustrating and baffling. If it weren't so serious, it 
would be comical. Over the last several months, Louisianians have grown 
increasingly frustrated with the Interior Department in particular--and 
in particular, what used to be called MMS but is now the Bureau of 
Ocean Energy Management,

[[Page 22043]]

Regulation, and Enforcement or BOEMRE. Louisianians have come to 
pronounce that ``bummer.'' That is because that agency hasn't been 
doing its work to issue permits to get Americans back to work to 
produce American energy.
  Related to that, earlier this week I publicly announced a hold on Dr. 
Scott Doney to be chief scientist at NOAA until Interior and BOEMRE 
show that it is capable of responding to a letter I had sent it about 
this ``permatorium,'' the sad state of affairs, and until they are 
willing to explain to Congress findings in an IG report I had requested 
back in June.
  Since June of this year, not a single new exploration plan or 
deepwater permit to drill has been approved by these bureaucracies--not 
a single one--idling billions of dollars of assets and forcing 
companies to cut their 2011 investment in the gulf to one-third of what 
it was a year ago.
  Time and again we have heard from BOEMRE and Interior Secretary 
Salazar that they don't have enough people to issue permits. They need 
more staff and they need to dedicate resources. They need more money 
and they need to focus on this permitting program. I have also been 
told that Interior needs more money--specifically $100 million 
additional.
  In light of all these claims, all of these requests--more people and 
more money--and in light of the enormous frustration we feel in 
Louisiana and in the gulf, I want to get to this little newspaper 
headline I referenced a few minutes ago. It came out yesterday, and it 
reads: ``BOEMRE Team Returns from Papua, New Guinea Visit After Sharing 
Technical Expertise with Officials.''
  It reads:

       Experts from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, 
     Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) recently completed a 
     technical assistance workshop on offshore oil and gas 
     regulatory programs for the Government of Papua, New Guinea. 
     The workshop was sponsored by the U.S. Department of State's 
     Energy Governance and Capacity Initiative.

  This is the same Interior Department that can't get a single 
exploration plan, not a single deepwater permit to drill out the door; 
the same Interior Department and BOEMRE that claims they need more 
money to hire more staff to get this job done.
  Apparently, they have plenty latitude and staff and money for a 3-day 
workshop in Papua, New Guinea, to discuss offshore permitting, which 
they can't get done in the United States.
  I think we need to take a little time to explain to the Government of 
Papua, New Guinea, that the last thing in the world they want to do, 
assuming they are interested in creating jobs at home through a 
workable permitting process, is to talk to these folks. These are the 
same folks who can't get a single deepwater permit or a single 
exploration plan out the door.
  As I said, this would be comical except it is not because it is dead 
serious, and it is losing American jobs and it is exporting economic 
activity from our country overseas.
  The Interior Department is crushing domestic energy production that 
is destroying good-paying jobs, losing revenue for the Treasury, and 
making America more energy insecure. If I can give one simple 
recommendation to BOEMRE this holiday season in regard to expediting 
the permitting process, maybe they should keep their staff planted in 
their seats at home. Maybe they should pass on the next trip to Papua, 
New Guinea, and the next workshop with our partners around the globe. 
Maybe they should focus on getting the first exploration plan and the 
first new deepwater permit out the door. Maybe they should get that job 
done and put Americans back to work producing American energy before 
more of these outrageous trips and expenses.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Tennessee is recognized.

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