Alan Simpson: “At various hearings throughout the year, Chairman Calvert expressed concern that the administration was taking a page…”

“At various hearings throughout the year, Chairman Calvert expressed concern that the administration was taking a page out of its ``war on coal'' playbook and applying it to oil production. The Department of the Interior has been attempting to make it as costly as possible to operate offshore so that companies will make the decision not to apply for a permit. They took that a step further last week with its Arctic regulations. In this instance, the Department set onerous requirements under the Well Control Rule that mandated that all wells should have the same thickness regardless of where you are drilling. Now, any engineer will tell you that these are site-specific decisions that are based on many factors and that the thickness will vary, depending on where the well is drilled. Instead, the White House wants to lock in that decision from Washington, D.C. and ignore recommendations from technical experts. The result is an Obama administration de facto moratorium on oil production as part of the White House's ``keep it in the ground'' strategy. I urge a ``no'' vote on this amendment. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.”