Speed Permitting Process

Statement

In late November, I finally had the opportunity to visit with Michael Bromwich, director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and En-forcement, our first meeting since the drilling moratorium was lifted. I again expressed to Bromwich the frustration felt by South Louisiana energy producers in dealing with the bureaucracy of obtaining drilling permits and laid out a plan for greater communication between producers and government regulators.

American energy production is vital to our national security, yet it is under attack. Not only do these delays in the permit process hurt job growth in the region, they make us more dependent on foreign oil, something I have fought vigorously throughout my career in Congress. Production must be clean and safe, and I feel we are heading in the right direction.

To help break through this bureaucracy, I recommended the formation of working groups to expedite the permitting process. The groups would consist of a small number of energy producers in deep and shallow water operations, administration officials from Washington and BOEMRE regional staff and rig inspectors along the Gulf Coast. This is the most effective way to identify obstacles and get answers. The administration needs to act on these recommendations, but I will remain skeptical until we see definitive actions and resumption of the permit process.

By closing wells in the Gulf, even more workers are out of jobs, while businesses struggle to remain in operation. The news the ban was lifted was welcomed, but the president has continued his de facto moratorium. I have pressed this issue for months, and I will continue to stand by hard-working Louisianans as we promote American energy. The livelihoods of too many Louisianans depend on offshore energy production for this travesty to drag on any longer.

Dr. Charles Boustany, R-Lafayette, represents the 7th District in the U.S. House of Representatives.

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