Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, I rise today in opposition to H.R. 1941, a bill that would permanently block responsible oil and gas development in the Atlantic and Pacific planning areas. As a Representative from a district that has overwhelming amounts of Federal land, I often find myself engaged with my colleagues on the other side of the aisle about the importance of allowing local leaders to be able to manage the lands that are around them, making decisions about what happens on those public lands that surround their communities. The argument I am met with is that public lands belong to all Americans, to benefit all Americans. And it is true, the responsible energy development that happens on public lands in my district benefits all Americans in the form of reliable and low-cost energy sources, but we are here today debating a bill that would put the wishes of some States to close off submerged lands under Federal land jurisdictions ahead of the interests of all Americans. When it comes to local control, why should local coastal States lead the way while landlocked Western States are told time and again that the Federal Government knows what is best? I have been a longtime advocate for an all-of-the-above energy plan in the U.S. This means wind, solar, geothermal, hydropower, natural gas, oil, oil shale, and minerals.…”