Use It or Lose It

USE IT OR LOSE IT -- (House of Representatives - June 26, 2008)

Mr. WALZ of Minnesota. Madam Speaker, Americans continue to suffer the pain at the pump due to 7 years of missed opportunities and outdated policies. President Bush's energy plan was literally written by the oil companies, giving more public resources and billions in subsidies to the same companies that are raking in record billions in profits while Americans are reeling. That was the plan then; that's the plan now.

Every day, we hear our friends on the other side of the aisle demanding that we need to drill more holes. What we don't hear is anyone demanding that they drill on the 68 million acres they have. Legislation on the floor today will force those companies to produce oil and gas diligently on the 68 million acres of the public land, your land, that they already have. Experts say there are 4.8 million barrels of oil which would nearly double total U.S. production.

Madam Speaker, drilling has been the Republican slogan for years, and it will be so today. Today is finally their chance to put that slogan to the test, to tell Big Oil to drill now and to use it, or lose it.

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