On the recordMarch 16, 2011
Mr. Speaker, we in Louisiana had to suffer through the BP spill, which is bad enough, but look what the President has done to us since. First, he placed a moratorium on offshore drilling, killing thousands of Louisiana jobs. Then the President was held in contempt of court for not issuing permits, and now we have two token permits created when gas prices are headed to $4 a gallon. On top of that we have a tax on coal, domestic oil, and hydrofracking, which is necessary for natural gas production. Finally, Secretary Chu told us higher prices may be a good thing. Perhaps we're discovering President Obama's real agenda, and that is deliberately constraining fossil fuel production to make prices go higher so alternative energy sources, which aren't really cutting it in the marketplace, will appear more competitive. ____________________
