As Americans continue to experience pain at the pump from skyrocketing gasoline prices, House Republicans are preparing to vote next week on two bills to expand offshore energy production. As part of House Republicans’ American Energy Initiative, H.R. 1230, the Restarting American Offshore Leasing Now Act, and H.R. 1229, the Putting the Gulf Back to Work Act, will create American jobs, lower gasoline prices and reduce our dependency on unstable foreign energy.

"American families and small businesses across the country are feeling the pain of high gas prices and they expect their government to act to help ease that pain,” said House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04). “Thousands in the Gulf are still unemployed and we are importing 130,000 barrels of oil more each day because of the lost production caused by the Obama Administration’s de facto moratorium on offshore drilling. An overwhelming majority of Americans support increased offshore energy production. Instead of increasing taxes on American energy like President Obama has suggested, these bills are common sense approaches to ensuring America develops our own energy resources and are less dependent on unstable foreign countries."

H.R. 1230, the Restarting American Offshore Leasing Now Act, passed the Committee with bipartisan support. It would require the 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.

H.R. 1229, the Putting the Gulf Back to Work Act, passed the Committee with bipartisan support. It would end the 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. It reforms current law by requiring the Secretary to issue a permit to drill and also requiring the Secretary to conduct a safety review.

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