Miller: We Must End the Pain at the Pump by Reducing Our Energy Costs and Become More Energy Independent

May 5, 2011 3:35 PM

WASHINGTON – U.S. Congresswoman Candice Miller (MI-10) today praised the U.S. House of Representatives passage of the Restarting American Offshore Leasing Now Act (H.R. 1230). This measure would require the Department of the Interior (DOI) to conduct offshore oil and gas lease sales and allow our nation to get back on track with energy exploration, produce additional energy resources domestically and help reduce the price of gasoline at the pump.

“Today, every American is being hurt by ever escalating prices at the pump and rising energy prices threatening our economic recovery and the creation of new jobs. We simply cannot continue to delay or cancel the increased production of domestic energy and exploration. As energy costs continue to skyrocket, it hurts household budgets and small business and the Obama Administration has not recognized the urgency to act on solutions to bring down fuel prices and leverage our domestic energy resources to bring those prices down and create jobs,” Miller said. “It is vital that our nation become more energy independent, and this measure will move us in the right direction. This legislation will create jobs and provide our nation with new revenue from the sale of these leases to help us reduce the federal debt we continue to pile on our children and grandchildren. Energy security equals national security and we must open up these leases for energy production.

“The approach this Administration has followed is wrong and it has led directly to the high prices we face today. I sincerely hope that the U.S. Senate will join us and act swiftly in taking up this measure to provide needed relief for consumers and new jobs for our workers,” said Miller.

Note: H.R. 1230 would require the Secretary of DOI to conduct the sales of the following leases to occur before June 1, 2012 or within one year after enactment of the bill:
1. Lease sale 216 in the Central Gulf of Mexico;
2. Lease sale 218 in the Western Gulf of Mexico;
3. Lease sale 220 on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) offshore of Virginia; and
4. Lease sale 222 in the Central Gulf of Mexico.

This bill would prohibit the Secretary of the Interior from making any tract available for leasing if the President, through the Secretary of Defense, determines that drilling activity on the tract would create an unreasonable conflict with military operations.

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