Texas Congressman Proposes Increased Oil, Gas Drilling in Gulf of Mexico
Posted on: Thursday, 27 April 2006, 18:00 CDT
By Rachel Stone, The Beaumont Enterprise, Texas
Apr. 26--The congressman who represents Jefferson County sponsored two proposals Monday that would increase oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.
Republican Rep. Ted Poe's proposals are in line with the agenda in Congress to put a lid on gas prices, which some analysts have estimated could reach an average of $3.50 or more per gallon this summer.
"I have filed legislation to expand domestic off-shore drilling to all our coasts, even the sacred shores of Florida and California," Poe stated in a release.
The United States imported 4.9 billion barrels of crude last year, according to the U.S. Energy Department.
"We cannot continue to be held hostage by third-world countries," Poe, of Humble, stated in a release.
"The best way to do that is to lessen our dependence on them by expanding our domestic drilling."
One proposal, H.R. 4908, would lift a ban on drilling in a portion of the Gulf of Mexico known as "sale area 181." The area is about 2 million acres, 100 miles off the coast of Pensacola, Fla.
Drilling in the Gulf of Mexico is allowed only off the coasts of Texas, Louisiana and Alabama. Florida has maintained a 125-mile buffer zone where no drilling is allowed.
The other proposal, H.R. 3811, would lift a 25-year-old moratorium on drilling in the Outer Continental Shelf in the eastern Gulf of Mexico.
The Sierra Club opposed a similar proposal, which came up in the Senate in February.
"Instead of drilling off our coasts, America needs real energy solutions increased fuel efficiency, renewable resources like solar power and policies that will help ensure our children are free from air and water pollution and our coastal economies are protected," the Sierra Club stated in a February release.
Increased domestic drilling has been on Poe's agenda since his 2004 campaign.
Poe also has signed on to legislation sponsored by Rep. Bobby Jindal, R-La., which would increase the portion of royalties states receive for coastal oil and gas drilling.
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Source: The Beaumont Enterprise
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