Steve Scalise: “Mr. Chairman, I share in many of the comments that were expressed by my colleague from Louisiana, Mr. Melancon. In fact…”

“Mr. Chairman, I share in many of the comments that were expressed by my colleague from Louisiana, Mr. Melancon. In fact, when you talk to people on the ground in Louisiana, most will tell you that this moratorium that was arbitrarily issued by the President has actually got the potential to do more long-term damage to our State than the oil spill, itself. Unfortunately, we are already seeing the consequences in terms of lost jobs. If you look at what would happen, not if this would go 6 months--as Secretary Salazar wants to go--but if this just goes another few weeks, we will lose up to 40,000 high-paying jobs that will go overseas. If anybody is wondering whether or not that is just talk, you can look at what is already happening. Just 2 days ago, Baker Hughes, a big oilfield service company, sent 300 jobs overseas. It laid off 300 Louisiana workers. These are jobs that have gone overseas because of this moratorium. It is already having a devastating impact. That is why it is so important that we pass an amendment that actually ends this current moratorium.”