[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 4]
[House]
[Page 5151]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            OBAMA MORATORIUM

  (Mr. HASTINGS of Washington asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, in 2008, when gas prices 
reached $4 a gallon, Republicans took to this House floor demanding 
that Congress take action.
  The good news for Americans is that Congress responded by lifting the 
ban on offshore drilling, opening up over 500 million new acres to 
energy production.
  The bad news is that immediately when President Obama took office, he 
completely halted this potential production. Now his Interior Secretary 
has announced a new Obama moratorium, a delay on leasing any new 
offshore areas for drilling until 2012.
  That means that Americans will have to wait 4 years for a plan to 
open up new areas for offshore energy production. That means that no 
new drilling will occur during President Obama's entire term in office. 
And this means that Americans will lose out on new jobs while this 
administration keeps dragging its feet.
  Mr. Speaker, it is time to end the delays and say ``no'' to the Obama 
moratorium and implement the 2010 plan to expand offshore drilling.

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