WASHINGTON, DC -The House Energy and Commerce Committee today approved bipartisan legislation to increase the production of American-made energy by eliminating unnecessary federal red tape that stalls exploration and stands in the way of job creation. The bill is part of the GOP’s American Energy Initiative, which aims to increase American energy production, create jobs, and create a more secure energy future.
The Jobs and Energy Permitting Act (H.R. 2021), introduced by Reps. Cory Gardner (R-CO) and Gene Green (D-TX), would eliminate red tape and expedite EPA’s permitting process to allow for increased oil and gas exploration in the Outer Continental Shelf. The bill passed with bipartisan support by a vote of 34 to 14.
The administration’s bureaucratic permitting process under the Clean Air Act has held up oil exploration in the Outer Continental Shelf for years, keeping valuable energy supplies locked away. The Jobs and Energy Permitting Act clarifies the law to correct the permitting process and remove uncertainties creating these delays.
“The Gardner-Green bill will end the perpetual circuit of permits, reviews, and appeals created by EPA’s current system for offshore exploration. Production off the coast of Alaska could make enormous strides to decrease our foreign oil imports, refill the declining Trans-Alaska Pipeline, and create tens of thousands of jobs," said Energy and Commerce Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI). “This common-sense legislation is an important part of House Republicans’ efforts under the American Energy Initiative and I look forward to a vote on the House floor soon."
