Honoring the Hard-working Men and Women of the Oil Fields of West Texas

Floor Speech

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Mr. CONAWAY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the hard-working men and women of the oil patches of west Texas. I have lived most of my life around those oil fields. I grew up in Odessa, Texas, where my dad was a roughneck. I have seen up close the hard work these good men and women do and the risks they face every day.

These individuals, from wildcatters to roustabouts and roughnecks and company men and women, have led the charge in the American energy revolution. Each has played an integral part in rewriting America's energy story and changing our Nation's course toward energy independence.

We have witnessed the impact of their strong entrepreneurial spirit and innovative technological advances that have grown our economy, created jobs, and bolstered our national security. We depend on their exhaustive and dangerous work to power our homes, pave our roads, fuel our cars, farm our lands, and everything in between that keeps this Nation running.

It is imperative that Congress support energy policies that are as adaptive and innovative as these hard-working men and women. Our policies must cut through bureaucratic red tape to encourage exploration here at home, reduce job-killing regulations, and repeal the antiquated crude oil export ban of a bygone era.

To that end, I am introducing H. Res. 243 that will pledge the House's support to these criteria. I hope my colleagues will join me in this show of support for a hard-working industry.

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