COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES
1324 Longworth House Office Building
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
10:00 a.m.

• Official hearing transcript
• Press Release - Chairman Hastings Announces Plans to Introduce Energy Legislation (3/16/2011)
• Blog Post - Driving the News Week: Republicans Focus on Lowering Gasoline Prices, Expanding American Energy and Creating Jobs (3/14/2011)
• Committee Action - Natural Resources Committee to Hold Hearings on Gulf of Mexico De Facto Moratorium and BOEMRE FY2012 Budget Request (3/7/2011)
• Letter - Reps. Hastings and Lamborn Letter to Gulf State Members Announcing Upcoming Hearings on de facto Moratorium (2/23/2011)
• Committee Investigation - The Obama Administration's Decision to Include Gulf Drilling Moratorium in Interior Report

OVERSIGHT HEARING ON:

• "The Obama Administration's De Facto Moratorium in the Gulf of Mexico: Community and Economic Impacts"

OPENING STATEMENT:

The Honorable Doc Hastings
Chairman

WITNESSES AND TESTIMONY:

Panel I

Scott Angelle
Secretary
Department of Natural Resources
State of Louisiana

Chairman Elizabeth Ames Jones
Commissioner
Railroad Commission of Texas
State of Texas

Panel II

Charlotte A. Randolph
President
Lafourche Parish Government
State of Louisiana

Chett Chiasson
Executive Director
Greater Lafourche Port Commission
State of Louisiana

Counselor Samuel Giberga
General Counsel
Hornbeck Offshore Services
Offshore Marine Service Association
(Truth in Testimony Form)

Christopher K. Jones
KEOGH, COX & WILSON, LTD
(Truth in Testimony Form)

Keith Overton
Chairman
Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association
President & COO, Trade Winds Resorts
(Truth in Testimony Form)

BACKGROUND

Despite rising gasoline prices, the Obama Administration continues to slow-walk drilling permits in the Gulf of Mexico. The de facto moratorium has cost thousands of American jobs and 300,000 barrels of oil a day - oil that we are forced to replace with unstable foreign sources. The one token deep water permit that was issued does not make up for the months of inaction, nor does it put thousands of people back to work. The Committee will also closely examine the request for additional funding for BOEMRE. We must ensure that this money will actually be used to improve safety and foster increased American energy production.