Offshore Oil Drilling Ban Will Be Restored ‘By Any Means Necessary,’ Democratic Congressman Says

The ban on offshore oil drilling that expired last September will be restored by “any means necessary,” Rep. Jay Inslee (D-Wash.), who serves on both the House Committee on Natural Resources and the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, told CNSNews.com on Friday.

Inslee, who participated in a conference entitled "Planning for a Secure Energy Future” sponsored by the Washington Post, also recommended a ban on future drilling in the arctic, where he says there is a “gold rush” for oil by [every nation but the U.S.].

But Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.), who serves on the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming and also attended the conference, told CNSNews.com that offshore oil drilling should provide an integral part of American energy and recommended the Interior Department begin distributing offshore oil drilling leases.

“We have to have natural gas,” ... “We have to have U.S. oil production. There may be as much as 75 percent of our proven reserves that are on federal lands or in the ocean combined. It’s a huge opportunity for this country to become energy independent.”

Walden added that he thinks the process of offshore oil drilling could also provide an excellent stimulus to the U.S. economy.

[Which are you for? If continued inslavement to OPEC, you're in good hands, the Dems are in charge. But if you'd rather we used our own oil, you'll need speak up: silence will be interpreted as consent.]

READ MORE

[click, sign, pass it on...]

.