Today, the House Natural Resources Committee approved by a bipartisan 24-17 vote, H.R. 6082, the Congressional Replacement of President Obama’s Energy-Restricting and Job-Limiting Offshore Drilling Plan. The bill would replace the Obama Administration’s final offshore drilling plan, which keeps 85 percent of America’s offshore areas off-limits to energy production, with a real plan that creates new American jobs by allowing offshore American energy production in those areas with the greatest known oil and natural gas resources.

“For over three years the Obama Administration has been playing politics with our nation’s offshore energy future, sending energy jobs overseas and deepening America’s dependence on unfriendly foreign countries for energy,” said Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04). “In stark contrast to President Obama’s plan that outsources American jobs and American energy, the bipartisan plan that passed today, is an environmentally responsible drill-smart plan that will create jobs, grow our economy, and lower gasoline prices with more American energy.”

The Obama Administrator announced its proposed 2012-2017 offshore lease plan on June 28^th. According to federal law, it’s now undergoing a mandatory 60-day Congressional review. As part of that review, the Committee acted today to make clear that the President’s plan is inacceptable and that it should be replaced with the environmentally responsible plan of H.R. 6082 that truly supports increased American energy and American jobs.

As amended, H.R. 6082 will implement a new schedule for 29 lease sales, protect national defense and military operations and provide for separate environmental reviews for each specific lease sale.

H.R. 6082's Proposed Lease Sale Schedule:

Sale No.	Area	Year
229	Western Gulf of Mexico	2012
220	Mid-Atlantic Sale (Virginia)	2013
225	Eastern Gulf of Mexico	2013
227	Central Gulf of Mexico	2013
249	So. Cal. Existing Infrastructure	2013
233	Western Gulf of Mexico	2013
244	Cook Inlet	2013
212	Chukchi Sea	2013
228	Southern California	2014
230	Mid-Atlantic	2014
231	Central Gulf of Mexico	2014
238	Western Gulf of Mexico	2014
242	Beaufort Sea	2014
221	Chukchi Sea	2014
245	Mid-Atlantic	2015
232	North Atlantic	2015
234	Eastern Gulf of Mexico	2015
235	Central Gulf of Mexico	2015
246	Western Gulf	2015
255	South Atlantic-South Carolina	2015
237	Chukchi Sea	2016
239	North Aleutian Basin	2016
248	Western Gulf of Mexico	2016
241	Central Gulf of Mexico	2016
226	Eastern Gulf of Mexico	2016
217	Beaufort Sea	2016
243	Southern California	2017
250	Mid-Atlantic	2017
247	Central Gulf	2017

Offshore Areas Open for Drilling under H.R. 6082, the Congressional Replacement of President Obama’s Energy-Restricting and Job-Limiting Offshore Drilling Plan

Offshore Areas Blocked for Drilling under President Obama's
Final 2012-2017 Plan

Offshore Areas Available for Drilling when President Obama
Took Office (January 2009)

###

Printable PDF of this document