Murphy's Response to Administration's "No New Energy Plan"

Press Release

Following the announcement by Secretary Salazar on the Obama Administration's updated oil and gas leasing strategy for the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Congressman Tim Murphy (PA-18) released the following statement:

I'm surprised at the President's flip-flop, but even more so, disappointed because ten percent of Americans are out of work. We need to create jobs here, not in the Middle East. With this maneuver, the President just slammed the door shut on 1.2 million new jobs and $8 trillion in economic output.

By locking away America's energy resources, the White House seems to be offering up more of the same energy policies that got us into this fiscal mess: higher taxes, debt to China, and dollars to OPEC.

I urge the President to reconsider his decision and rally behind a solution that doesn't raise taxes or send our dollars to OPEC; instead, it funds the clean energy bridge to the future and puts America back to work. More specifically, I call on the President to support my legislation, H.R. 2227, the American Conservation and Clean Energy Independence Act.

H.R. 2227 invests the $3.7 trillion in federal lease and royalty payments into clean energy, a clean environment, and the rebuilding of America's crumbling infrastructure. It will put more than a million Americans to work, all of this without buying oil from OPEC, borrowing from China, or raising taxes. It's the all-of-the-above energy strategy that's fully paid for and puts our economy back on track.

Mr. President, now is not the time to maintain the status quo on the staggering unemployment, sluggish economy, and dependence on foreign oil.

The choice is simple. We can choose to ignore the issues and shut down our largest domestic asset. Or we can pass this bill, get to work, and move forward responsibly."

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