As part of House Republicans’ American Energy Initiative, Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) today introduced three separate bills to expand offshore energy production in order to create jobs, lower energy costs, generate revenue to help pay down the national debt, and improve national security by lessening our dependence on foreign energy.

Chairman Hastings is introducing the following bills: (Click titles for more information)

• The Putting the Gulf Back to Work Act would end the Obama Administration’s de facto moratorium in the Gulf of Mexico in a safe, responsible, transparent manner by setting firm time-lines for considering permits to drill, which provide certainty and allow employers and workers to get back on the job.

• The Restarting American Offshore Leasing Now Act would require the Obama Administration to move forward promptly to conduct offshore lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico and offshore Virginia that the Obama Administration has delayed or canceled. Due to the Obama Administration’s actions, in 2011 there will be no offshore lease sales – the first time since 1958.

• The Reversing President Obama’s Offshore Moratorium Act would lift the President’s ban on new offshore drilling by requiring the Administration to move forward in the 2012-2017 lease plan with energy production in areas containing the most oil and natural gas resources.

“These bills will directly reverse Obama Administration actions that have locked-up America’s vast offshore oil and natural gas resources,” said Chairman Hastings. “The bills will end the de facto moratorium in the Gulf of Mexico and allow people to return to work, require lease sales to be held that were canceled or delayed by the Obama Administration, and lift the Obama Administration’s ban on new offshore drilling by directing production to occur in areas with the most oil and natural gas resources. In contrast to the President’s drill nowhere new plan, this is a drill smart plan. The majority of Americans support offshore energy production and these bills will allow it to move forward in a safe, responsible and efficient manner. With thousands unemployed in the Gulf region and gasoline prices nearing $4 per gallon, swift action must be taken to reverse course and increase U.S. energy production.

“These are just the first three of an array of bills that will be introduced as part of the American Energy Initiative. Republicans have taken a pledge against passing large, comprehensive bills and instead we’ll work to advance solutions through individual, specific bills. America needs an all-of-the-above energy approach. We will soon introduce bills focused on renewable energy, onshore production, hydropower, coal, and critical minerals that are vital to renewable energy and new technology.”

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