Seeks to Open Western Oil Shale, Alaska Reserves, Off-Shore Resources, Keystone Pipeline

Congressman Doug Lamborn's (CO-05) PIONEERS Act, H.R. 3408, overwhelmingly passed the House today with bipartisan support. The final vote was 237 to 187.

H.R. 3408, the PIONEERS Act, would:

• Open up oil shale in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming
• Open up the Outer-continental shelf to oil and gas production for most of the continental United States
• Open up Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to energy production
• Require the Keystone Pipeline project to be approved with 30 days 

"This bill puts America on a path toward energy independence. We need a better energy policy in our country, and this bill is a start. The Obama Administration's no-energy policies have caused energy prices to skyrocket in this country. It is time we begin accessing our vast American energy reserves. This bill ensures we do so in a responsible way, that in the long term, will help increase energy production, and bring down energy costs." -- Chairman Doug Lamborn (CO-05), Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources

Background:

 Offshore Energy Production. The plan would require the Administration to move forward with new offshore energy production in areas containing the most oil and natural gas resources – including the Atlantic Coast, Pacific Coast and portions of the Eastern Gulf of Mexico. It requires the Secretary of the Interior to conduct oil and natural gas lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico and offshore Virginia that have been delayed or cancelled. It establishes fair and equitable revenue sharing for coastal states. Click here to learn more.

ANWR. The plan would open less than 3 percent of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) in Alaska to responsible energy development by directing the Interior Secretary to establish lease sales in the North Slope. The North Slope of ANWR was specifically set aside in 1980 by President Jimmy Carter and Congress for oil and natural gas development. ANWR contains approximately 10.4 billion barrels of oil and at peak production could supply the U.S. with up to 1.45 million barrels of oil per day. Click here to learn more.

Oil Shale. The plan would create new American jobs by setting clear rules for the development of U.S. oil shale resources and promoting shale technology research and development. It directs the Secretary of the Interior to issue additional Research, Development & Demonstration (RD&D) and commercial leases and makes permanent the Resource Management Plan amendments and commercial oil shale regulations published guidelines by the Department in November 2008. Click here to learn more.

 Keystone XL pipeline. The plan would create a path forward for construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, a project that would create tens of thousands of jobs and deliver nearly a million additional barrels of Canadian oil per day to U.S. refineries. The legislation takes politics out of the pipeline decision by removing the president’s authority over the pipeline’s permit and giving it to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. It instructs FERC to approve the pipeline within 30 days if the permit remains in compliance with State Department’s Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS), which concluded building the pipeline was the “preferred” option. The legislation also gives FERC 30 days to approve the Nebraska re-route once the environmental review is complete and the state’s governor has approved it. Click here to learn more. (Courtesy House Energy and Commerce Committee).

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