Legislative Hearing: Hearing on the Republican Energy Bill

LEGISLATIVE HEARING ON:

• Discussion Draft of H.R. ____, To distribute revenues from oil and gas leasing on the Outer Continental Shelf to certain coastal States, to require sale of approved and scheduled offshore oil and gas leases, to establish offshore wind lease sale requirements, and to empower States to manage the development and production of oil and gas on available Federal land, and for other purposes.

DEMOCRATIC TOPLINE MESSAGES:

• This legislation is simply a giveaway of public land and our oceans to the states and the oil and gas industry by another name.
• Giving permitting authority to states would undercut the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Endangered Species Act (ESA), tribal consultation, the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), and the mandate to manage public land for multiple uses and multiple users.
• Companies have nearly 8,000 approved onshore drilling permits they haven’t used – there is no need to speed up permitting.
• Oil production on onshore federal lands rose by 77 percent under President Obama, and offshore production hit an all-time high in January of this year, clearly showing that companies are not fleeing public lands as Republicans claim.