Sullivan, Cole, Inhofe, Applaud Bush’s Decision to Lift Executive Drilling Ban

Congressman John Sullivan (R-OK), on President Bush’s decision to lift the executive ban on drilling on the Outer Continental Shelf and called on House Democrats to follow suit and immediately allow a vote on legislation to lift the congressional ban:

“I applaud the President’s decision to lift the executive ban on offshore drilling in the Outer Continental Shelf, which is a critical first step toward increasing the supply of American-made energy and ending our dependence on foreign sources of oil. Throughout my time in Congress, I have been a strong advocate of a safe and environmentally friendly approach to opening up areas that are currently off limits to oil and natural gas exploration, such as the Outer Continental Shelf and ANWR. Last week, I joined several of my House colleagues in sending a letter to President Bush urging him to take this decisive action.”

“The American people – including an overwhelming number of First District residents- support a comprehensive solution to our current energy crisis that includes lifting the ban on offshore energy exploration. Now all that stands in the way of tapping our nation’s offshore reserves, and increasing production of American-made energy, is the democrat controlled Congress. The longer House Democrats delay in allowing a vote on the drilling ban, and putting America on a path to energy security, the longer Oklahoma families will continue to pay more than they should for a gallon of gasoline.”

U.S. Congressman Tom Cole (R-OK) agrees:

“Seeing the President announce his intentions to lift the executive order that banned offshore drilling is a shameful reminder that Congress has not lifted its own legislative ban,” Congressman Cole said. “Congress’ outdated ban was put in place at a time when our economy was looking up and gas prices were low. But, today we have different circumstances and an uncertain energy outlook. We need to act now by lifting the legislative ban, a move that will unlock oil and natural gas reserves, create good-paying American-energy jobs and put us on a path towards a more secure energy future.”

“Congress has stood in the way of accessing these resources for far too long. It’s time for common-sense to prevail and for Congress to come together to listen to the majority of Americans who support off-shore drilling. By repealing the ban we can start tapping into our domestic resources in a responsible way. We have the technology and conservation policies in place that will allow responsible drilling without harming our environment. The President said it best – ‘the time for action is now.’”

U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe (R-OK) also weighed in:

“President Bush is to be commended for taking a critical step to ensure increased domestic energy supply for America,” Senator Inhofe said. “Democrats in Congress must stop blocking America’s access to the resources on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). With gas prices continuing to skyrocket, suffering Americans are demanding Congress allow more domestic energy production.

“Recent polling has shown 67 percent of the American people now support offshore drilling, with just 18 percent opposed. Congress should follow the President’s lead and lift the moratoriums on domestic energy exploration. Currently, 85 percent of the OCS –an estimated 19 billion barrels of recoverable oil — is off limits. At today’s import levels, this is the equivalent of 35 years of imports from Saudi Arabia. No country on earth has exploration technology as advanced and environmentally sound as ours. Even so, Democrats oppose offshore production based upon misleading environmental grounds. Major spills from drilling and production platforms are nearly non-existent. Both Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, which were massive Category 5’s, plowed through the heart of Gulf oil production just four weeks apart, yet no major spills occurred.”