Congressman Doug Lamborn (CO-05), Chairman of the House subcommitee on Energy and Mineral Resources, today questioned Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar over the Administration's continued efforts to block access to American energy reserves.

To view a short video of excerpts from the exchange, click here.

Congressman Lamborn Grills Secretary Salazar on Administration's Oil Shale Policies

Transcript of excerpts of Lamborn and Salazar exchange:

Lamborn: Recently our committee recieved a copy of a BLM [Bureau of Land Management] proposal to regulate hydraulic fracturing on federal lands, on top of what the states are already doing very well. This is an issue the resources committee has been monitoring closely over the past year. You appeared before our committee in November and testified about BLM plans to regulate fracking on federal lands. In your testimony you stated that you had worked, quote, closely with industry, other federal agencies and the public, unquote, regarding oil and gas development. Based on your reference to open government, can you tell the committee, yes, or no, do you plan to issue these fracking regulations through a formal rule-making process under the Administrative Procedures Act which would allow for an open process and time for public comment, or not?

Salazar:Yes.

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Lamborn: Mr. Secretary, your department just withdrew all kinds of acres, how is that helping, if you say you believe in at least researching ?

Salazar: Congressman, the leases are still out there, and they are very much still available for research and development both on our public lands, as well as private lands. What was withdrawn were lands related to commerical leasing, because frankly the United States of America is not ready to move forward with commercial leasing of oil shale lands when the technology is not there yet to develop it.

Lamborn: You say the technology is not there. You're not letting them go forward. You are predetermining the results.

Note:Congressman Lamborn's PIONEERs Act, H.R. 3408, is being debated on the House Floor today. Final vote is expected tomorrow. H.R. 3408 has now been modified to include language from both H.R. 3410 and H.R. 3407, bills aimed at expanding access to American energy reserves in Alaska and off-shore.

For a fact sheet on the oil shale aspect of the PIONEERS Act, please click here.

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