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WASHINGTON, DC- Congressman Henry E. Brown, Jr. (R-SC), a long time supporter of an ‘all of the above’ energy policy, issued the following statement today on the expiration of energy production bans on the Outer Continental Shelf and the oil shale reserves of the Inter-Mountain West:
“Today is a defining moment in the fight for more American energy production. House Republicans have been aggressive for months now and the expiration of these energy bans is a big victory for Americans struggling with record gasoline prices. With the lifting of these outdated bans on offshore drilling and oil shale exploration, we can begin to move towards bringing down prices at the pump and our ultimate goal of creating the comprehensive energy strategy America needs.
Republicans demanded an up or down vote on energy for months, and when the time arrived for Members of Congress to return home for a five week break, a vote still had not been held. House Republicans spoke on the House Floor every day of that five week period, demanding that Congress return to session to vote on providing American energy for the American people. That protest – along with increasing calls nationwide for real energy reform – proved to be an unstoppable force, and today’s expiration of the bans is tangible proof of the victory shared by Republicans and the American people.
Our task now is to ensure that this victory is not short lived, as House Democratic leaders’ have already asserted that restoring the bans ‘will be a top priority for discussion next year.’ House Republicans will do everything to prevent this and will use the recent ban expiration as the motivating step to move us towards the ‘all of the above’ energy plan that we have been working so hard to create.”
Congressman Brown has been a supporter of offshore drilling and exploration for years. Even before it was politically popular, Brown foresaw that an ‘all of the above’ plan would be the only way to provide enough energy for the America people in the future. The future has arrived, and Congressman Brown still stands by his original position that there is only one solution to our nation’s energy crisis, and without it, we can not begin to hope for domestic energy independence. For more information about solutions to our nation’s energy challenge, visit Congressman Brown’s website: http://brown.house.gov/Issues/energy.html.
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