WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO), Vice Chair of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, today offered the following statement after Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced details of a new comprehensive energy plan for the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), including repealing the Bush Administration’s midnight timetable for its five-year offshore drilling plan:

“President Obama and Secretary Salazar are taking the right approach to developing the appropriate balance between responsible energy development and environmental stewardship,” said DeGette. “Americans recognize that a rush to drill – whether in the Colorado mountains or off our nation’s coastlines – is not the solution to our energy problems.  We clearly need to continue developing oil and gas while we transition to cleaner, renewable fuels, but we must make sure we’re doing it in a safe and environmentally sensitive manner.”  

U.S. Rep. DeGette is also a  member of the House Committee on Natural Resources, which is holding three hearings over the next two weeks to examine the future of oil and gas development along the Outer Continental Shelf.