Offshore Energy

Floor Speech

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Mr. BROWN of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, last year Congress and President Bush announced an end to the decade-long ban on offshore drilling. But the Obama administration stopped progress on meeting our Nation's energy needs by instituting an extended 6-month public comment period.

That period ended Monday, but according to the Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar, expanded offshore drilling may not happen until 2012, turning a 6-month delay into a 3-year ban. With the unemployment rate well over 9 percent nationwide and close to 12 percent in South Carolina, it is irresponsible for the administration to ignore the economic benefits that will come with America's energy production.

According to recent reports, drilling in the Outer Continental Shelf could generate $8 trillion in gross domestic products over the next 30 years, 1.2 million American jobs and $70 billion in wages annually. In South Carolina alone, offshore exploration could generate up to $250 million in revenue annually, and would create over 2,000 jobs in the Palmetto State.

Mr. Speaker, we need to be sure that we are able to continue to develop our resources.

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