Less than two weeks from the Presidential election, the Obama Administration is once again desperately trying to pretend that they support increased American oil and natural gas production. Today’s offshore lease sale announcement in the Western Gulf of Mexico is simply a recycling of their failed energy policies. They are offering lease sales in nearly the same offshore acres that were offered last December.

While the Obama Administration is bragging about a lease sale on areas that have been offered in the past, they are implementing a five-year offshore lease program that opens no new areas to drilling. President Obama’s plan includes the lowest number of lease sales in the history of America’s offshore energy program and keeps 85 percent of our offshore areas closed to new production. The Obama Administration has also blocked or canceled multiple new offshore lease sales from new places like offshore Virginia that could have created over 2,000 jobs.

“With only two weeks until the national election, President Obama is recycling his failed energy policies by announcing an offshore lease sale for the same areas that the Administration held a sale for last December. Meanwhile, at a time when increased offshore energy production in new areas could create thousands of jobs, President Obama is keeping 85 percent of America’s offshore under lock and key,” said Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings. “President Obama has spent the last four years constructing American energy roadblocks and his five year moratorium on 85 percent of America’s offshore energy resources is just another example of how his efforts are making America more dependent on foreign energy. With 23 million Americans looking for work, President Obama is still using his same failed energy policies that haven’t helped create jobs, grow the economy or make America more energy secure.”

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