House Bill Includes the Largest Expansion of Domestic Drilling in U.S. History

Press Release

House Bill Includes the Largest Expansion of Domestic Drilling in U.S. History

Congressman Allen Boyd (D-North Florida) tonight voted for a comprehensive and responsible energy bill that includes the largest expansion of domestic drilling in U.S. history. The Comprehensive Energy Security and Consumer Protection Act (HR 6899) also protects the critical military training and testing area in the Gulf of Mexico and invests in renewable sources of energy.

HR 6899 would permit oil and gas leasing between 50 and 100 miles along the entire Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), except for the Eastern Gulf of Mexico, if a state chooses to "opt-in" to allow leasing and enacts a state law. The remaining OCS beyond 100 miles would be open to oil and gas leasing. The legislation also adheres to the bipartisan 2006 agreement which protects the military training area in the Gulf, encompassing most of the Eastern Gulf, until 2022.

"I worked hard to make sure that the House Leadership drafting this bill understood the importance of the military training range in the Gulf and the impact that drilling in this area could have on our communities, our local and state economies, and our national defense efforts," said Congressman Boyd. "The House energy bill recognizes the important role of our military testing range and also includes the largest expansion of domestic drilling in our country's history."

"At the same time, we are prohibiting drilling from at least 50 miles off Florida's coastline, keeping our tourism and fishing industries strong and protecting our beautiful beaches," Boyd continued. "This bill really is a ‘best case scenario' for Florida, and those who say it does not go far enough are looking at the political polls and not at the pump."

The offshore drilling provisions in the bill would open up 63 to 80 percent, or 319 to 404 million acres, of the OCS currently closed to drilling, depending on what states decide. These newly-opened areas would increase the oil available by at least 2 billion barrels.

The comprehensive energy bill also would:

* Extend and expand tax incentives for renewable energy.
* Temporarily release nearly 10 percent of oil from the government's stockpile, known as the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR), and replaces it later with heavier, cheaper crude oil. Past releases have brought down gas prices by up to 33 percent.
* Increase domestic oil production in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska.
* Require oil companies to drill on the 68 million acres of federal lands they already control.
* Advance the development and deployment of carbon capture and storage technologies to come up with a cleaner way to use coal.
* Strengthen energy efficiency in buildings to bring down costs and provide incentives for energy efficient homes.

"No bill is perfect, and there are things in this bill that I would like to remedy in the future, such as the renewable electricity standard and the exclusion of incentives for more nuclear power," Boyd said. "But this legislation represents a responsible and serious compromise to help bring down gas prices now and invest in a renewable energy future. I hope more of my friends on the other side of the aisle will stop the political gaming and get behind the bill's concrete proposals to address high gas prices, provide more domestic oil, and encourage alternative energy."

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