Kevin Brady: “The cost of the drilling moratorium in human lives and jobs, the impact on people's lives and families, is devastating.…”

“The cost of the drilling moratorium in human lives and jobs, the impact on people's lives and families, is devastating. We face other immediate threats to America's energy future within the next several weeks: The Blowout Prevention Act, through the efforts of Congressman Joe Barton and others, working with Congressman Henry Waxman and others, I think has become a more manageable or acceptable bill. A real concern still exists. The Oil Spill Accountability Act, which will stop exploration in America's gulf; energy taxes that will force, or really drive U.S. energy jobs to other countries. All of this will have a huge impact. Can I talk for a moment, though, about the lives that are already being affected? We know that the lives of those 11 workers that have been lost, praying for their families and their recovery are a top priority for us. Stopping that spill from gushing further. Protecting the beaches and marshes and seabeds and trying to help the gulf States communities recover have to be our priority. The question is, do we make it worse for the gulf by a moratorium? The answer is yes.”