Kevin Brady: “Our Nation is in the middle of an exciting energy revolution, but we will never truly reach energy security as long as…”

“Our Nation is in the middle of an exciting energy revolution, but we will never truly reach energy security as long as 85 percent of our offshore areas remain off limits to oil and gas manufacturers. Chairman Hastings' Offshore Energy and Jobs Act on the floor today will open more offshore areas to energy development and bring our Nation closer toward the bipartisan goal of energy independence. This is a great thing. In particular, Chairman Hastings' innovative bill allows State Governors to request that certain offshore areas be included in the 5- year leasing plan. This gives States more power to unlock offshore energy resources and the jobs and the affordable energy that go along with responsible offshore energy development. I'm offering an amendment to strengthen that language based on my More Energy, More Jobs legislation recently introduced with my colleagues, Mr. Wittman of Virginia and Mr. Shimkus of Illinois. It will require the Interior Department to include all these areas requested by State Governors in the environmental review process for the leasing plan. The National Environmental Policy Act requires all major Federal actions, including offshore leasing plans, to undergo an environmental review. For offshore leasing, this is an environmental impact statement. Typically, this is a 2-year process at least, and a first step for including any area in an offshore leasing plan.…”