[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 6922]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   PUTTING THE GULF BACK TO WORK ACT

  (Mr. BOUSTANY asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, I have said many times on this floor and 
in meetings with constituents, this country does not have an energy 
strategy, and the only thing worse than not having an energy strategy 
is having bad energy policy. Yet the answer lies right here in our own 
backyard. We have the resources, but this administration continues to 
block access.
  Today we're voting on H.R. 1229, the Putting the Gulf Back to Work 
Act. It is crucial to restoring our own capabilities to produce energy 
by moving forward with permit applications in a sensible amount of 
time.
  It's deplorable that businesses, like Leed Petroleum in Lafayette, 
Louisiana, with 22 employees, cannot get back to work and have no 
options unless we hold these regulators' feet to the fire and force 
them to do their jobs. These independent producers and service 
companies, the backbone of American energy production, deserve answers 
and real solutions.
  With oil and gas prices skyrocketing, there is no excuse for any 
delays to offshore energy production. The people of this country are 
tired of uncertainty. They are tired of dependence on foreign oil, and 
they're tired of record gas prices.
  The bottom line is we must begin the path toward a solid energy 
policy to get Americans back to work. There's no excuse for delay.

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