The Administration's decision to halt drilling activity did more than threaten the livelihood of thousands of rig workers and oil and gas service crews; it drastically reduced the amount of economic activity taking place in the Gulf Coast…

We are going to continue to have hearing after hearing in this committee, if necessary, until this issue is brought squarely before the American public.

Increasing our dependence on foreign oil has direct ramifications on our national security.

And that is assuming the best-case scenario, and we are not on a glide path to that right now, in my view.

This Administration seems to be ignoring the fact that this action has actually increased environmental risk.

It is very conceivable that this action by our own Government will turn out to have more economic devastation than the spill itself.

We believe that we can have a vibrant tourism industry.

This should not and must not be a political game.

It is an extremely important point.

Tens of thousands of hard-working American lives hang in the balance.

I do not feel like we are being protected or served at all.

We cannot close down the offshore oil and gas sector without devastating economic impacts to our region.

By stopping drilling in the Gulf, are we helping the environment or harming it? I believe we are actually harming it.

The irony of this decision is that they are the only ones drilling right now in the Gulf.

This decision to halt all new energy production in the Gulf of Mexico appears to have been made in an uninformed manner and, in my view, borders on reckless.

the only company drilling in the Gulf of Mexico today in deep water is the company that caused the spill--British Petroleum.

I sent a letter to President Obama yesterday announcing my intention to hold another hearing no later than September 16th.

I share the Administration's goal of a safer oil and gas industry, not their method to achieve that.