On the recordFebruary 10, 2011
One of the top concerns I am hearing from my constituents is the state of our economy and jobs, and that is why I rise today in support of this resolution directing the committees of the House to examine and exercise oversight of Federal agency regulations and their impact on the economy. The U.S. Department of Energy recently announced that we currently have the highest gas prices in this country that we have ever had during the month of February, and it makes no sense for the Department of Interior to continue to resist access to our own sources of American energy. This is critical, because our country's economic health is tied to having a robust energy sector. Obama administration officials estimated it would cost roughly 23,000 jobs if they enacted the deepwater drilling moratorium, but it went ahead anyway. And to add further insult to Americans, it also included a shallow water regulatory permit slowdown. Recently a judge held the Department in contempt for administration's drilling moratorium. 2010 Congress and this administration can and should encourage private sector job growth, not hinder it with unreasonable regulations. We risk losing more scarce jobs and more investment capital every single day due to the ever-increasing weight of our Federal bureaucracy. Many of these regulations place significant burdens on manufacturers and small businesses at a time when our economy can least sustain them.
