Today, the Department of Energy’s independent U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) released their latest Short Term Energy Outlook for projected crude oil production in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) and net U.S. imports (see charts below). Despite the misleading comments made by Interior Secretary Salazar last week, GOM crude oil production has continued to significantly decline since the Obama Administration’s de facto moratorium. EIA’s latest numbers also show the Obama Administration’s anti-energy policies have made us more vulnerable to energy price spikes as we have become increasingly reliant on unstable foreign energy.

“The numbers don’t lie—it’s clear that this Administration is taking U.S. energy policy in exactly in the wrong direction. Gas prices are closing in on $4 per gallon and thousands of people are out of work in the Gulf because of the de facto moratorium on drilling permits,” said Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings. “Unemployment is only going to get worse as this Administration’s policies continue to increase the cost of gasoline, which trickles down to every sector of our economy. We need to use our resources to produce American made energy, create good jobs, and insulate ourselves from uncontrollable energy prices spikes.”

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