WASHINGTON, D.C., July 18, 2012 - Today, the House Natural Resources Committee approved by a bipartisan 24-17 vote, H.R. 6082, the Congressional Replacement of President Obama’s Energy-Restricting and Job-Limiting Offshore Drilling Plan. The bill would replace the Obama Administration’s final offshore drilling plan, which keeps 85 percent of America’s offshore areas off-limits to energy production, with a real plan that creates new American jobs by allowing offshore American energy production in those areas with the greatest known oil and natural gas resources.
“For over three years the Obama Administration has been playing politics with our nation’s offshore energy future, sending energy jobs overseas and deepening America’s dependence on unfriendly foreign countries for energy," said Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04). “In stark contrast to President Obama’s plan that outsources American jobs and American energy, the bipartisan plan that passed today, is an environmentally responsible drill-smart plan that will create jobs, grow our economy, and lower gasoline prices with more American energy."
The Obama Administrator announced its proposed 2012-2017 offshore lease plan on June 28th. According to federal law, it’s now undergoing a mandatory 60-day Congressional review. As part of that review, the Committee acted today to make clear that the President’s plan is inacceptable and that it should be replaced with the environmentally responsible plan of H.R. 6082 that truly supports increased American energy and American jobs.
As amended, H.R. 6082 will implement a new schedule for 29 lease sales, protect national defense and military operations and provide for separate environmental reviews for each specific lease sale.
H.R. 6082's Proposed Lease Sale Schedule:
Sale No. Area Year
229 Western Gulf of Mexico 2012
220 Mid-Atlantic Sale (Virginia) 2013
225 Eastern Gulf of Mexico 2013
227 Central Gulf of Mexico 2013
249 So. Cal. Existing Infrastructure 2013
233 Western Gulf of Mexico 2013
244 Cook Inlet 2013
212 Chukchi Sea 2013
228 Southern California 2014
230 Mid-Atlantic 2014
231 Central Gulf of Mexico 2014
238 Western Gulf of Mexico 2014
242 Beaufort Sea 2014
221 Chukchi Sea 2014
245 Mid-Atlantic 2015
232 North Atlantic 2015
234 Eastern Gulf of Mexico 2015
235 Central Gulf of Mexico 2015
246 Western Gulf 2015
255 South Atlantic-South Carolina 2015
237 Chukchi Sea 2016
239 North Aleutian Basin 2016
248 Western Gulf of Mexico 2016
241 Central Gulf of Mexico 2016
226 Eastern Gulf of Mexico 2016
217 Beaufort Sea 2016
243 Southern California 2017
250 Mid-Atlantic 2017
247 Central Gulf 2017
Offshore Areas Open for Drilling under H.R. 6082, the Congressional Replacement of President Obama’s Energy-Restricting and Job-Limiting Offshore Drilling Plan
Offshore Areas Blocked for Drilling under President Obama's
Final 2012-2017 Plan
Offshore Areas Available for Drilling when President Obama
Took Office (January 2009)
