House Republicans Block Drill Act

Today, Congressman Wexler voted for the Drill Act, which would bring 10.6 billion barrels of oil immediately to American consumers by requiring oil companies to being producing oil from acres of land already leased.  The legislation would have allowed other companies to take over these leases if the oil company currently in possession failed to begin oil production.  

The Drill Act would have also required the Administration to oversee the construction of a pipeline from these Alaskan reserves for the transport of oil and gas to the lower 48 states.  The pipeline project would have created an estimated 10,000 new jobs.  In addition, the legislation banned the export of this American-made energy, reserving resources for here at home.  Unfortunately, House Republicans blocked the Drill Act, which required a two-thirds vote of support in order to pass.

"Oil companies are actively holding 10.6 billion barrels of oil hostage from the American people and this legislation would have required them to begin production immediately,” said Congressman Wexler. “While House Republicans claim they want to increase domestic supply of oil and gas to the market, by blocking this legislation they took a hard stand against the development of our domestic resources.  Last year, oil companies made record profits of $123 billion, and yet rising gas prices are threatening the ability of average Americans to maintain a comfortable standard of living.  It is time that we put an end to these partisan gains and stop these outrageous profits, which Big Oil has gained from sitting back and allowing the price of gas to skyrocket."

Access the full text of H.R.6515, or read more about Congressman Wexler's commitment to achieving American energy independence.

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