[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 15241]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    LET'S PUT THE GULF BACK TO WORK

  (Mr. PALAZZO asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. PALAZZO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to once again urge the 
administration to issue drilling permits in the Gulf of Mexico in a 
more timely and efficient manner.
  As demonstrated at today's Natural Resources hearing, there is a 
critical need to correct the regulatory backlog. The long-term effects 
of the moratorium and subsequent regulatory slowdown will lead to 
decreased development levels in the Gulf of Mexico, which will reduce 
oil and gas production levels and associated employment and economic 
activity in the gulf South's economy. Recent reports show that up to 20 
deepwater drilling rigs could leave the Gulf of Mexico due to the slow, 
uncertain pace of the permit process. Continued regulatory uncertainty 
will only exacerbate this trend as operators reallocate resources to 
other major offshore provinces.
  President Obama has said over and over that jobs and the economy are 
the administration's number one priority.
  Mr. President, the Gulf of Mexico sits ready to work. Let's put her 
to work for America.


                Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Dold). Members are reminded to direct 
their remarks to the Chair.

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