WASHINGTON, DC - The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy and Power, chaired by Rep. Ed Whitfield (R-KY), today continued its hearing on the American Energy Initiative, focusing on draft legislation that would to increase the production of American-made energy.
The Jobs and Energy Permitting Act, put forward by Rep. Cory Gardner (R-CO), would eliminate needless permitting delays that have stalled important energy production opportunities off the coast of Alaska. While the Environmental Protection Agency’s regional office has granted air permits to allow drilling in the Alaskan Outer Continental Shelf, the process has repeatedly been stalled when the Administrator’s Environmental Appeals Board rejects the permit already granted by the EPA. to view the press release.
At today’s hearing, members of Alaska’s congressional delegation praised Gardner’s draft and urged the development their state’s untapped oil and gas reserves. All of today’s witnesses agreed that Alaskan energy production was vital to the economic sustainability of the state.
“I commend Rep. Gardner for playing a leading role in the American Energy Initiative and proposing sensible, concrete solutions to get energy production up and running on the Outer Continental Shelf," said Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI), chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. “We need to cut through the bureaucratic red tape that is keeping rigs idle and American energy production from reaching its full potential. This proposal has the potential to increase American energy production, which will create jobs, promote our national and energy security, and bring down prices."
