On the recordJune 26, 2008
I got a call yesterday from a constituent in my district who said he saw me speaking on the floor about domestic energy, and he was relieved. He was relieved because someone in Congress understood the effects that high gas prices are having on real families all over this country, because he didn't think anybody was paying attention. Well, guess what? Some people are paying attention. We need to be looking at resources here at home to solve our energy problems. The United States Minerals Management Service found out that, out of our 1.76-billion-acre Outer Continental Shelf, only 3 percent is leased to oil and gas exploration, and nearly 85 percent of the lower 48 OCS remains untapped. Madam Speaker, we can explore our domestic resources safely and effectively so we will not harm our environment. I and my Republican colleagues will continue to talk about domestic exploration because we do have solutions, and somebody is listening.
Source
govinfo.gov
