Offshore Drilling Bills Put Jobs at Risk

Press Release

U.S. Representative Gregg Harper (R--Miss.) opposed two bills today that would lead to a halt in offshore drilling.

"As millions of unemployed Americans search for jobs, the White House and some Members of Congress are determined to advance regulations and policies that will put tens of thousands of those in the oil industry out of work," said Congressman Gregg Harper. "The White House ignored industry experts, a federal judge, and pleas from Members of Congress when it issued yet another moratorium on deepwater drilling."

To date, 14,000 deepwater wells have been drilled without any major issues. During the six decades of Gulf water drilling, thousands of wells have been successfully drilled.

H.R. 3534, the "Consolidated Land, Energy and Aquatic Resources Act of 2009" (CLEAR Act), would consolidate regulatory authority of federal mineral and energy resources into one entity. The bill would also create challenges for smaller, independent companies by lifting the liability cap on oil companies in the aftermath of an oil spill.

H.R. 5851, the "Offshore Oil and Gas Worker Whistleblower Protection Act of 2010," would create whistleblower protections in the offshore oil and gas industry.

Harper said that these bills will simply increase costs on the petroleum industry and serve as a de facto moratorium putting more jobs at risk.

"Many of my constituents depend on the offshore oil industry for their livelihoods. During this time of economic uncertainty, our country does not need new policies that destroy jobs," Harper added.

The oil industry employs tens of thousands of offshore drilling workers nationwide. These high-paying jobs account for $12.7 billion in annual wages. According to the U.S. Bureau of Statistics, there are 107,210 oil-related jobs along the Gulf Coast.

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