Bill Flores: “Unemployment is still at nearly 9 percent, $4 gasoline is on the way, and the Obama administration still doesn't get it.…”

“Unemployment is still at nearly 9 percent, $4 gasoline is on the way, and the Obama administration still doesn't get it. They've locked up our domestic energy resources through the recently issued Wild Lands order, which had no congressional authority, and they continue to pursue regulatory drilling moratoria. Every developed country in the world looks to their own resources to fuel their economies. We have access to resources that dwarf the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, and we can finally put our country on a path to energy independence. The United States has vast energy resources on our public lands and off our coasts that belong to the taxpayers. This is why I've introduced the Lease Extension and Secure Energy Act of 2011. This bill would extend offshore leases impacted by the Obama administration's drilling moratorium for an additional 12 months. This legislation would return time lost during the drilling moratorium, adding certainty so domestic producers can continue exploration without a looming lease expiration. We need the stability that comes from an all-of-the-above energy approach. We need a commonsense energy policy that brings stability to the marketplace, creates good paying American jobs, grows our economy, reduces our dependence on foreign oil, and raises trillions of dollars to help pay off our growing $14 trillion national debt. We owe this to our children and to our grandchildren.”