President Lifts Drilling Ban, Gohmert Urges Majority Leadership to Quit Ignoring Domestic Energy Solutions
Statement
President Lifts Drilling Ban, Gohmert Urges Majority Leadership to Quit Ignoring Domestic Energy Solutions
Following President Bush's announcement today that he will lift an executive ban on responsible energy exploration along our nation's Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), Rep. Louie Gohmert (TX-01) released the following statement:
"President Bush has taken a significant step towards increasing American energy independence by lifting this outdated moratorium. Now the only barrier blocking our nation from accessing and producing billions of barrels of American oil and natural gas is this out of touch Majority Leadership. When we have more natural resources than any other country in the world, it is asinine to watch our citizens and businesses suffer as gas prices climb closer and closer to $5 per gallon. This Leadership's contempt for our hurting nation is blocking energy production, energy independence, and long overdue relief. The majority of American people, the Administration, and Members of Congress from both sides of the aisle support responsible off shore energy exploration. It's time for the Majority Leadership to get on board."
Rep. Gohmert has continually urged Congress' Democratic Leadership to lift barriers that prevent the U.S. from becoming energy independent, but he has recently aimed his efforts towards the Administration in order to increase pressure on Congress. Gohmert spoke with counsel to the President Ed Gillespie a few weeks ago in order to push for the President to lift the ban. Gohmert also reiterated his position last Thursday to Vice President Cheney in an intimate meeting with a handful of other Members. President George Bush announced this afternoon that he would lift the executive moratorium on offshore drilling in the OCS, a ban that has been in place since 1990. Now the only remaining hurdle to accessing an abundance of American energy sources is the Congressional ban, which Majority Leadership has the power to rescind.
Rep. Gohmert represents the First District of Texas in the U.S House of Representatives and serves on the Committee on Natural Resources, which has jurisdiction over matters pertaining to drilling in the OCS. Gohmert can be reached at www.gohmert.house.gov.
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