Pearce Fights Hoax "DRILL" Bill, Sends Letter to Leadership to Remove Real Drilling Roadblocks

Statement

Pearce Fights Hoax "DRILL" Bill, Sends Letter to Leadership to Remove Real Drilling Roadblocks

Today, Congressman Steve Pearce led the fight against legislation that does nothing to address the soaring price of gas and gives no relief to American families. The so-called "DRILL" Act, or the Drill Responsibly in Leased Lands Act (HR 6515), would create duplicative regulations and repeal oil leases from companies if the wells are found to be "inactive". It does nothing to increase sorely needed access to American energy or help bring down the cost of oil and gas.

"It's a classic shell game played by the majority to mislead the American people. A complete hoax," said Pearce, who controlled the time on the floor for the Republican Members. "If they were truly serious about bringing down gas prices and increasing supply, we would be opening up the 85% of the outer Continental Shelf that is currently off limits. If they were truly serious, we would be developing our existing resources in Alaska [ANWR]. There's nothing about oil shale, nothing about nuclear, and nothing about ending the billions and billions of dollars we send to Hugo Chavez and OPEC."

Current law already directs the Secretary of Interior to repeal a lease if the company leasing the land is not producing, so it is unclear why the majority would need to pursue this legislation in the first place.

In reality, companies are predominantly tied up in regulation and litigation and have not been able to produce as a result. Bureaucratic hurdles and lawsuits brought by extreme environmental groups have hamstrung the permitting process and prevented companies from producing America's resources on the 68 million acres that are currently available.

"We will go case by case to remove these roadblocks if we have to," Pearce announced. "Today, I have sent a request to our leadership today asking them to sign on to a letter I am sending to the President asking him to remove the bureaucratic holdups preventing development of several cites in Utah. The President, by Executive Order, can order the Bureau of Land Management to issue long awaited Resource Management Plans that would enable the oil and gas industry to tap into 5.2 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and 334 million barrels of oil."

"If the majority is truly serious about drilling, this is one simple case that we should be able to agree on and begin development right away."

Source