Washington, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Randy Hultgren (IL-14) today applauded the House of Representatives for passing three bills to expand domestic energy production.

“Over the last week, the House of Representatives has considered and passed legislation that will provide my constituents and all Americans some badly needed relief at the gas pump, while simultaneously putting Americans back to work and creating revenues for the federal government,” said Hultgren, a freshman. “These commonsense bills are long-overdue measures that will help our economy by easing gas prices and creating jobs.”

The bills passed by the House are H.R. 1229, the “Putting the Gulf of Mexico Back to Work Act;” H.R. 1230, the “Restarting American Offshore Leasing Now Act;” and H.R. 1231, the “Reversing President Obama’s Offshore Moratorium Act.” All three passed with bipartisan support. H.R. 1230 and H.R. 1231 direct the Secretary of the Interior to hold lease sales for offshore oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and off the coast of Alaska; H.R. 1229 requires the Secretary of the Interior to make decisions on applications for drilling permits in the Gulf of Mexico on a timely basis.

“At a time when Illinoisans are paying roughly $4.30 per gallon of gas, these bills send a strong signal that the House of Representatives is determined to pass legislation that will make America more energy self-sufficient and make gas more affordable,” said Hultgren. “These bills not only put an end to the Administration’s counterproductive ‘permitorium’ on offshore drilling, they also set a goal of increasing daily domestic oil production by 3 million barrels by 2027.

“In passing these bills, the House has sent a message to everyone hurting from high gas prices that we feel their pain. And once again, we have underscored our commitment to pro-growth, pro-jobs policies that will put Americans back to work and help our economy back on the road to recovery.”