Isakson Calls on Obama to Develop Offshore Drilling Plan

Says Exploring Resources Critical to National Security, Economic Well-being

Mar 03, 2009

WASHINGTON- U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., and 33 of his Senate Republican colleagues sent a letter to President Obama calling on him to quickly complete his Administration’s five-year plan for offshore oil and gas development.

“Environmentally responsible exploration of our offshore oil and natural gas resources is a critical part of a comprehensive policy that will enable the United States to become energy independent,” Isakson said.

“I hope President Obama will move quickly to utilize these resources, which are important to our national security and economic well-being. We can neither afford nor allow ourselves to become complacent. We must continue to take meaningful steps to move our nation’s energy independence forward.”

“We also need to enact comprehensive legislation to decrease our dependence on foreign oil in the long term through measures such as increasing nuclear power generation, expanding renewable sources of energy and promoting conservation and efficiency.”

The full text of the letter is below:

Dear Mr. President:

Decreasing our nation’s dependence on foreign oil was a prominent part of your campaign energy platform and has our full support. In addition to improved energy efficiency and the development of renewable resources, tapping new domestic sources of conventional energy will help relieve stress on family budgets, put Americans to work, and free us from dangerous and unstable foreign regimes. To achieve these substantial benefits, we urge you to limit any delay and complete as expeditiously as possible your Administration’s five-year plan for offshore oil and gas development.

Experts have estimated that our Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) contains roughly 100 billion barrels of untapped oil. Combined, production occurring off of our Atlantic, Pacific, Gulf and Alaska coasts could displace OPEC imports for approximately 50 years. These areas also contain tremendous reserves of clean burning natural gas – enough supply to last for decades. Production of these resources will help keep energy prices low for consumers and businesses. Conversely, restricting access will burden individuals and our economy by keeping prices higher than they need to be.

The federal government is responsible for the prudent stewardship of the natural resources that lie beneath our public lands and the OCS. Failure to utilize these valuable resources has left America overly dependent on foreign countries and threatened our energy, economic, and national security. We can no longer continue on this unsustainable path of self-imposed debility.

Decades of experience with modern drilling technology show that it is possible to balance the production of domestic resources and the protection of our environment. An affirmative decision by you not to reinstate the Presidential Moratorium on U.S. offshore oil production, along with your leadership in delivering a new offshore drilling plan in an expeditious manner, will benefit all Americans. We also encourage you to continue the practice of revenue sharing with producing States in order to return a fair share of royalties to them and maximize the resources brought to market.

We thank you for your consideration of this important issue.