WASHINGTON, D.C. – An amendment offered by Representative Adam H. Putnam (R-FL 12) restored the Congressional moratorium on natural gas drilling of the coast of Florida.

By a vote of 217 to 203, the House voted to strip language adopted in Committee that would have allowed for the exploration of and drilling for natural gas as close as 3 miles off the Atlantic Coast, and 9 miles off the Gulf Coast.

"This is a tremendous victory for Floridians," stated Putnam, who serves as Chairman of the House Policy Committee and is a member of the Congressional Republican leadership. "Through the efforts and hard work of the Florida delegation and our colleagues from other coastal states, we were able to restore the original congressional moratorium language as submitted by the Bush Administration earlier this year."

"Our nation is facing great challenges in meeting today's energy needs, and this Congress has a serious responsibility to develop meaningful long-term solutions. That effort must be given the utmost commitment by all my colleagues," Putnam continued. "However, the provision included in the Interior Appropriations Bill, which would lift the 25 year congressional moratorium on natural gas exploration on the nation's Outer Continual Shelf – is not a productive part of that process."

"The Peterson Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) provision, as recently amended into the Interior bill in the Appropriations Committee, would lead the way toward permitting offshore drilling rigs right up to three miles from shore off of virtually all US coastal waters. The measure would allow new drilling within sensitive waters previously protected by the 25 year bipartisan Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) moratorium.  This is not the answer to America's energy needs."

"Congress should – and it will – consider all options to increase our nation's energy supply. Those options will in all likelihood include discussions of drilling off the Outer Continental Shelf. However, this is not the right time – nor is an appropriations bill the right venue – to be making these critical energy policy decisions," Putnam concluded.

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