Walz Votes to Expand Drilling, Bring More Oil to the Market

Press Release

In an effort to find a bipartisan, comprehensive solution to address the rising price of gas, Congressman Walz today voted for the Drill Responsibly in Leased Lands (DRILL) Act. The DRILL Act will promote the responsible domestic production of oil and natural gas, particularly in 20 million acres of the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A).

"Oil companies are leasing 68 million acres of federal land that are just sitting idle," Walz said. "The DRILL Act makes it clear to Big Oil that when it comes to leases, they need to use it or lose it. Just yesterday, the Department of the Interior made 2.6 million acres of potentially oil-rich territory in northern Alaska available for energy exploration. I applaud this move because it will open up much of the northeast section of the Northeast National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, which holds an estimated 3.7 billion barrels of oil."

Under the DRILL Act, more oil would be brought to the market more quickly. The NPR-A has an estimated 10.6 billion barrels of oil, which could be brought to the market quickly the DRILL Act would facilitate the construction of additional Alaskan pipelines. Additionally, the bill will reinstate the ban on Alaskan oil exports that was in place from 1973 to 1995, imposed to ensure that American oil helps the American people.

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