Today, President Obama banned offshore acreage in the Arctic and the Atlantic using section 12(a) of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA). Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) issued the following statement:  

“The extremes to which this president will go to appease special interests never ceases to amaze. This is not a moral calling, it’s an abuse of power. Scratch below the façade of pragmatism and it is nothing more than ideological chest-thumping from the president for the far left.

“This White House fails to understand that America’s offshore is the foundation of our energy strength, and its responsible development has served to insulate families and businesses from the whims of global oil cartels such as OPEC. This naïve and unprecedented executive action undercuts our competitiveness and threatens regional economies across the country.”