Domestic Energy and Jobs Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. BOUSTANY. I thank the gentleman for yielding time to me.

Madam Speaker, the sad fact today is that this country does not have a coherent energy strategy, pure and simple.

Now I can tell you, I come from Louisiana, where we know firsthand, probably more than any other State, that good energy policy can march hand-in-hand with good economic policy and good environmental policy. We've lived that life. We know that the energy sector, American energy production, creates good-paying jobs. Many of these jobs go to people from families that have never had anyone attend college, and through these jobs, they have been able to pay for college for the next generation. These are good-paying jobs, better paying than most.

The first step in energy policy is, number one, don't punish your current energy production. Don't punish American energy production. And that's what we've seen from this administration. Four straight years of proposing high taxes, new taxes on independent small energy companies, small oil and gas companies. New taxes at a time when we ought to be developing our energy production makes no sense at all. Secondly, what's our transition strategy? We clearly have an abundance of oil and gas, new reserves, new technology.

We have led the world in this. We ought to be developing it. And we can achieve energy security for this country and create good-paying American jobs.

This administration proposed a moratorium on drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. And now, yes, they lifted the moratorium, but they still continue to slow-walk the permits. This bill would go forward and help us to streamline that process so we can get American energy production back up online in the Gulf of Mexico and to develop our energy security needs. We have the reserves. We have the opportunity.

The American energy production sector from upstream, midstream, downstream is accountable for 6 million jobs in this country; and we can grow more jobs. We can grow more jobs beyond that--good-paying jobs--if we do this--and meet our energy security needs.

The bottom line is this: I would ask my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to take a look at that plaque up there near the ceiling just above the Speaker's chair. Read the first sentence. It says: ``Let us develop the resources of our land,'' a quote from Daniel Webster. We should heed that advice. We should develop the resources of our land.

Let's develop our American energy production in the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska. Let's develop it in the shale plays. Let's create jobs. Let's create a secure energy future for this country, and let's move this country forward.

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