On the recordJuly 30, 2010
Mr. Chairman, on the CLEAR Act, in my opinion, this is a textbook case on how to kill jobs and raise energy prices. Reforms are needed to ensure American offshore drilling will be the safest in the world, but this bill is extremely premature. The investigations are still ongoing, and we do not have the answers to the question, what went wrong? I am greatly concerned, too, that this will further harm Louisiana. The State of Louisiana has estimated that a moratorium like the one currently imposed could result in a loss of more than 20,000 Louisiana jobs. Rigs are already leaving the gulf for countries like Egypt and the Congo. Yet today's bill imposes a permanent de facto moratorium by including provisions to delay or block offshore drilling and imposing taxes that will raise energy costs. Killing jobs and raising energy prices are the wrong direction. I urge my colleagues to vote against the CLEAR Act.
