On the recordFebruary 10, 2011
First of all, I want to bypass the hysterics that have been going on tonight from some of our speakers and let's talk about the things that are important to Americans. I have the great honor of representing the people of the Fourth District of Louisiana. I have a deep and abiding appreciation for the coastal wetlands and the thousands of jobs that are dependent on the health of the Gulf of Mexico. We in Louisiana understand that the offshore oil and gas industry is critical to our long-term economic survival. Despite the tragedy of the Deepwater Horizon accident, the citizens of Louisiana support environmentally safe offshore energy development, and they are growing increasingly frustrated, if not angry, at the Obama administration's de facto moratorium that occurs today in the gulf, time delays that recently resulted in a Louisiana Federal judge finding the Department of the Interior in contempt of court. This moratorium has caused the loss of thousands of jobs; it has increased our growing dependence on imported oil, and it has contributed to the accelerated increase in the price of gasoline. We have also heard an ongoing drumbeat of misinformation about hydraulic fracturing, which is a longstanding practice that has been effectively regulated by the States for over 60 years. In my own congressional district, hydraulic fracturing is necessary for the development of the Haynesville Shale play.
