Political Quotes

“I thank my friend and colleague from Massachusetts. Madam Speaker, I support President Obama's proposed offshore drilling lease plan. I will vote for it, but I suspect that it will garner little support, and that's the reason why it was scheduled for consideration today. But unlike the Republican majority in the House who favor drilling above all else, Interior Secretary Salazar and President Obama are acting more responsibly in a balanced fashion. Their 5-year leasing plan attempts to balance the full range of public and private interests. Their 5-year leasing plan attempts to ensure that our coastal waters will continue to be a shared public resource. They were never meant to be the exclusive domain of the oil and gas industry. Introducing drilling in new areas, as the gentleman from Washington State's bill would do, will disrupt established industries like commercial fishing and beach tourism. There is no question about that. And there is no need to rush forward and open our entire coast to drilling when 75 percent of our offshore oil and gas resources are already available for drilling. In fact, more oil is in production today under the Obama administration than at any time during the last 14 years. And more of the public's lands and waters have been leased for drilling today than at any previous time in American history.…”