Gingrich, Other GOP Leaders Lament Lack Of Offshore Drilling

By Courtney Costello- Talk Radio News Service

One year after President Bush signed an executive order lifting the federal ban on drilling along the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS)," congressional leaders gathered in Washington to shed light on the Obama administration's failure to make offshore drilling a priority.

“In the last 29 years, nothing has been done to upgrade our knowledge about gas and oil reserves [off American shores],” said former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.).

Funding OCS offshore drilling will help create 1.2 million jobs for Americans, and create a pay roll close to 70 billion dollars, if these resources are used right away, said Rep. Doc Hastings (R-Wa.).

The Congressional leaders all stressed that the U.S. has to limit its dependency on foreign oil.

“The idea that we are sending dollars abroad, taking jobs away from our Americans, bleeding our economy to buy oil from overseas is wrong, when we have vast quantities available...I’ve suggested, let’s have a transition, with fossil fuels developed in this country. Develop them for domestic use and transfer those dollars into developing alternative forms of energy,” said Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska).

"Madam Speaker, let our people go!"

"Let out people go," entreated Rep Joe Barton (R-Tex.) former chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) Barton was speaking at a press conference on the fifth day of Republican grandstanding in the House of Representative. Barton and Republican Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), who returned from his district for the event, called on the Democratic leadership to call the House back into session for debate on the American Energy Act, a bill which the Republicans call their "all of the above" energy solution. Minority leader John Boeher (R-Ohio) has called for this "revolt" to last up until the tart of the Democratic National Convention.

The members which included, Representatives Dean Heller (R-Nev.) and Steve Scalise (R-La.) pointed out statements made by Democratic members of the House calling for a vote on energy legislation, particularly to for votes on expanded drilling measures. Blunt said that the group will be sending letters to every member of the Democratic caucus asking that they return from August recess to debate and vote on energy legislation.

The Republicans will get a vote on off shore drilling sooner or later, as the Congressional ban on offshore drilling on the Outer Continental Shelf expires Sept. 30 of 2008. Blunt said that if the ban where to expire on that date "fuel prices will head back down October 1st." Blunt also said that threats of a government shutdown by opposing a continuing resolution were dependent on whether legislation to renew bans on off shore and oil shale drilling are included.

Rep. Louis Gohmert (R-Texas) called the Democratic leadership the "very best friend OPEC has in the entire world," accusing House Democrats of funding "both sides" of the war on terror by standing in the way of opening up more U.S. territory for oil exploration.

Hoyer: Democrats are for drilling

"Democrats are for drilling," said House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D- Md.) Hoyer explained that House Democrats agree with the public's desire to devote resources to oil drilling in the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), oil reserves in the continental United States, and the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (not to be confused with Arctic National Wildlife Refuge--ANWR-- in Alaska.) Hoyer said that the disagreements between Democrats and Republicans arise from where to drill for more oil. "If there's a place to drill, let's drill," he said referencing acres of the OCS that have already been leased to oil companies. Democrats don't necessarily want to drill where Republicans want, he said.

Hoyer said that while the price of oil per barrel has gone down almost $30, the price at the pump has not gone down to where the pain is not felt by his constituents. Hoyer also suggested that drilling in ANWR was something that Republicans are enthusiastic about, but that oil companies may not be. "I don't know that oil companies have contacted me about ANWR, I don't know, maybe they are not interested in drilling there," Hoyer said.

Hoyer also implied that Republicans are simply paying "lip service" to the causes of renewable and alternative sources of energy, when he cited a quote from Maryland Republican Roscoe Bartlett who was quoted in the Politico as saying of Republicans, "They're giving lip service to [alternative energy]...The only thing they emphasize is drilling."

Energy independence a hard goal

The Energy Daily and Covanta Energy hosted a media breakfast with Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chairman Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) to discuss the congressional outlook on energy. At the forefront of discussions was the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Moratorium. The OCS Moratorium was put in place by Congress in 1981 to protect America's coasts from threats of oil and gas developments as well as to prevent leasing of coastal waters for fossil fuel development.

According to Bingaman, any ideas of changing the Moratorium would run into significant opposition and pointed out that President George Bush has not asked for a change either. When asked if the OCS Moratorium is shaping up to be an election issues, Bingaman said that the longer the topic was debated, the better it would be understood. Bingaman also noted that both presidential candidates Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Senator Barack Obama (D-Ill.) have "kept the issue boiling" and not voted on it. Bingaman also said he was against the federal government ceding authority of the OCS to coastal states. He said that around $100 billion of the OCS revenue would go to coastal states and this in unfavorable in a time when the federal government needs its reserves. According to Bingaman, the OCS has always been a federal resource. Bingaman was quick to admit that leaders of coastal states would not agree with his stand.

Bingaman commended Texas oilman T. Boone Pickens for taking on the issue of energy and developing an alternative energy plan. According to Pickens' testimony before Congress last week, America needs to switch to local energy resources within the next 10 years to stop foreign oil dependence. Using Department of Energy estimates, Pickens said the U.S. should be capable of producing 22 percent of its electrical energy needs using wind-powered electricity. Bingaman said that he was in favor of using wind energy, as Pickens has been advocating. However, Bingaman admitted that, "100 percent energy independence is a hard goal."

White House Gaggle

Briefer: Dana Perino

President’s Schedule:

President Bush had his normal briefings at 8 am this morning. At 11 am the President will make a statement on the 10th Anniversary of the International Religious Freedom Act, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House. At 1.30 pm, the President will make a statement in the Rose Garden on the energy needs of the country, and the importance of expanding exploration for resources here at home. The President will announce that he has decided to lift the executive ban on oil exploration in America’s outer continental shelf, and he will again call on Congress to lift its legislative ban.
Perino also made remarks about the news of former Press Secretary Tony Snow who passed away on Saturday. She thanks everyone on behalf of the Snow family for the outpour of support, and quoted the President: “Tony Snow was a great friend to everybody at the White House. “ Perino also announced the funeral services for Thursday July 17, 2008 to be held at 10 am at the Basilica at Catholic University. The President will be attending this service.

Oil Exploration

When asked about what effect lifting the ban will really have, Perino went back to June 18th when the President called upon Congress to come together in finding solutions, “to turn both keys at the same time”, as Perino described it. She talked about the Democratic leaders in Congress who have not shown a willingness to move forward. “They haven’t even held a single hearing,“ Perino said. The White House is now hoping that lifting the ban, will help spur Congress to act. Both the legislative and the executive ban need to be lifted in order to them to be able to move forward and develop more sources of oil in our own country. Perino said that they are aware that it is going to take some time; there is no quick fix, but that we are in a transitional period that requires action. “The sooner they act the sooner, the faster we can send a signal to the market that we are serious, “ she said
When asked if lifting the executive ban in itself does anything, Perino said that it doesn’t; Congress has to act as well.

Perino was asked to go over what the White House position is on what Democrats are saying in terms of the oil fields that are already available to oil companies off shore; in her response she to the “Use it or lose it” provision, she referred to the oil companies and what they have to go through from the time they get a lease through permits and other ordeals in order to see if there is any existing oil all in the ground. “ It doesn’t make economic sense to think that anyone is sitting on extra oil that they have right now, that they could be selling, “ Perino said.

Perino was asked questions in regards to Treasury Secretary Paulson who made a statement yesterday about expanding credit, and if this is propping up share prices for Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, that could put taxpayers money at risk; and she said that the announcements yesterday talked about actions that are being taken to prevent any taxpayers money to be at stake. Perino also stated that neither of the companies has taken advantage of the borrowing opportunities and both of their regulators have stated that the companies are well capitalized, so “this is sending message to what is a nervous market that the government will be there if it is needed.” Perino continued to say that the Administration believes that these should continue to be shareholder owned companies and “we hope that the action Secretary Paulson took yesterday will be quickly taken up by Congress.”

Housing Bill

When asked if the White House needs to drop any objections in order to speed up the process for the bill to pass, Perino said that they feel that they are in a good position the way it is. Perino also mentioned a key of the Senate bill where it calls for an independent regulator at the GSE something that the President has been calling for since years back. She said that the Administration got good feedback from members of Congress yesterday so they have hopes that it will get done quickly.