Strategic Production Response Act
Floor Speech
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Mr. CLEAVER. 8.
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Mr. CLEAVER. Mr. Chairman, this bill requires the Secretary of Energy to consult with the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of the Interior, and the Secretary of Defense to develop a plan to increase the percentage of Federal lands leased for oil and gas production when drawdowns are made on the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
Should this bill become law, I believe this interagency coordination will be paramount to ensuring the Federal lands leasing strategy is carried out in a thoughtful and scrupulous way.
To that end, my amendment will require that the Director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency are also formally included in the Energy Secretary's consultation process as the leasing plan is formulated.
Mr. Chair, I hope my colleagues on both sides of the aisle will vote with me in favor of this amendment to ensure greater interagency collaboration and due diligence on such important matters before us.
Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
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Mr. CLEAVER. 9.
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Mr. CLEAVER. Mr. Chairman, as we all know, the Strategic Petroleum Reserve was established decades ago by our 38th President, Gerald Ford, in the aftermath of the oil crisis of the early 1970s.
Ever since, the reserve has proven to be an incredibly effective tool at the President's disposal in instances where the Nation has found itself confronted with a crisis. Whether we find ourselves facing a catastrophic natural disaster, a substantial spike in global oil prices, or an outbreak of international conflict, Presidents have used the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in each of these situations and others to ensure the Nation is able to respond swiftly, avoid disruptions to vital operations, and minimize the financial pain facing American families.
Tragically, it is not a matter of if but, rather, when the next national emergency will occur. I think we can all agree that the last thing any of us want is for the President's ability to quickly mobilize the Nation's response to be encumbered or hindered by unintentional red tape.
This amendment would straightforwardly, but importantly, avoid that potential pitfall by including an exception for national emergencies as declared under the National Emergencies Act. We all know how government bureaucracies work, and it is always slowly.
This bill requires the Department of Energy to consult with the Department of Agriculture, the Department of the Interior, and the Pentagon to develop a plan to increase the percentage of Federal lands leased for oil and gas production when drawdowns on the SPR are made.
While thorough due diligence and interagency coordination are absolutely a good and necessary component in any attempt to lease Federal lands for oil and gas production, do any of us really believe that such consultation and planning between four massive government departments can be done expeditiously in a time of war or crisis? This amendment would insert an exception clause to ensure this bill does not compromise or restrict the President's ability.
Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
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