On the recordJuly 28, 2010
I wish to speak for a few minutes on the subject of energy. Particularly I wish to contrast the approach that has been taken by the administration with regard to the blanket moratorium on drilling in the Gulf of Mexico for at least 6 months--but who knows how much longer that will slip--and a better approach that I think will provide a way of promoting safety but also not kill jobs in the Gulf of Mexico, particularly in the Gulf States, including Louisiana, Texas, Alabama, and Florida. There is no secret about the fact that the blanket moratorium, which has been struck down by a Federal judge as unjustified by the rationale given by the administration, is now being appealed, so drilling activity has essentially halted--new drilling activity in the Gulf of Mexico. I think there is a better way to approach this. A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to fly from Sugarland, TX, 200 miles offshore into the Gulf of Mexico to a drilling rig called the Noble Danny Adkins. This drilling rig was sitting in 9,000 feet of water, and of course it was idle as a result of the drilling moratorium. When fully operational, it employs up to 200 people, but of course they weren't working because there isn't any drilling going on.
