On the recordJanuary 26, 2023
Mr. Chairman, replenishing the Strategic Petroleum Reserve is in our national security interest, but handing out 10 percent of our federally protected lands is not the answer. Big Oil sits on more than 9,000 unused permits for drilling on public lands. That is 9.9 million acres; 7.5 million football fields; more land than Maryland and Delaware combined. Congress should find the political courage to hold the fossil fuel industry accountable. As long as Big Oil holds on to thousands of unused permits, it shouldn't get a single acre more of our land. We can strengthen our energy independence without another sweetheart deal for the fossil fuel industry, which also receives billions in subsidies, and without selling out the hunters, fishers, and hikers who rely on public lands and contribute 1.9 percent of our GDP. I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on H.R. 21.
