[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 7049]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        EFFECTS OF SEQUESTRATION

  (Mr. VALADAO asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. VALADAO. Mr. Speaker, this month, the United States Bureau of 
Land Management indefinitely canceled all oil and natural gas leases in 
California. This includes 1,278 acres of prime oil and natural gas land 
in Kern and Fresno Counties located in my district--California 21. This 
land is part of the Monterey shale formation located in the Central 
Valley.
  The Monterey shale contains two-thirds of our country's shale oil 
reserves, the equivalent of 15.4 billion barrels of oil. If tapped, it 
could generate half a million jobs and generate $4.5 billion in 
revenue. This would have a significant impact on my district, which has 
faced chronic unemployment for years. However, citing sequestration, 
BLM is suspending all future lease sales in California. This decision 
was made despite the fact that these leases provide significant revenue 
for the Federal Government.
  This is just another example of the administration using 
sequestration to further their environmental policy agenda at the 
expense of American families. BLM's efforts to prevent energy 
development are depriving my constituents of quality jobs and 
increasing energy prices for hardworking families across the country. 
It is unacceptable that BLM is halting lease auctions in regions that 
have been used for oil and gas development for over a century.

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