[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 3]
[House]
[Page 3270]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                               OCS DELAY

  (Mr. SMITH of Nebraska asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. SMITH of Nebraska. Madam Speaker, offshore energy development is 
an important step toward reducing our dependence on foreign oil, 
creating new jobs, and putting our economy back on track.
  In 2008, by ending the decades-long ban on offshore exploration, we 
opened 500 million acres containing an estimated 14 billion barrels of 
oil and 55 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.
  Unfortunately, the Obama administration immediately instituted an 
extended public comment period, delaying progress.
  Despite public support for increased offshore drilling, Secretary of 
the Interior Salazar recently stated the Obama administration will now 
wait until 2012 to put a new plan in place. This means the 
administration's initial 6-month delay has turned into a 3-year 
moratorium on new offshore exploration.
  With the potential to create 1.2 million jobs and add $8 trillion to 
our economy, it is irresponsible to continue to ignore the economic 
potential these areas hold.

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