Free Republic

Dear Member of Congress: In recent weeks, there has been much discussion about access and federal oil and natural gas leases, and I thought it helpful to provide you with information on this matter. The criticism of the oil and natural gas industry is that it seeks greater access to our nation’s resources under federal lands when companies already own many leases that are allegedly sitting there, undeveloped and producing nothing. There are now even calls for oil companies to be denied new leases, if they have “unexploited” leases. To many, this criticism may sound reasonable. However, these claims of...

A bill introduced in Congress this week would "compel" oil and natural gas companies to produce from federal lands they are leasing. If only it were that easy to find and produce oil. Imagine, an act of Congress that could do what geology could not. These lawmakers ask why oil and gas companies want more access to federal lands to drill if they aren't using all of the 68 million acres they already have? Anyone with even the most basic understanding of how oil and natural gas are produced – and this should include many members of Congress – knows...

House Democrats responded to President Bush's proposal to end the moratorium on offshore as well as Arctic National Wildlife Refuge by telling the president to drop dead, although they used a lot more words to make the same point. The Democrats' main argument was that the oil industry is already in possession of 68 million acres of oil leases and that Big Oil should drill away on those before they come around asking the federal government for any more land or ocean floor. At a Capitol Hill press conference following Bush's White House Rose Garden appearance, Rep. Ed Markey of...

As gas prices increase, Congress is feeling more and more pressures from its constituencies to explore for oil in areas that are off-limits, including the Outer Continental Shelf and in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). Many politicians in Washington, D.C. oppose those efforts due to environmental concerns, but House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on June 12 he’s not opposed to drilling, but said oil companies aren’t using the leases they have. “Well, there’s nothing wrong with drilling,” Hoyer said. “But the fact of the matter is we have 80 percent of the leases that...

June 18, 2008 Reid: Bush And McCain Still Don't Get It - We Cannot Drill Our Way Out Of This Energy Crisis Washington, DC—Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid made the following statement today in response to President Bush’s proposal to drill offshore for oil: “This week’s flip-flop on offshore oil drilling by President Bush and Senator John McCain is nothing more than a cynical campaign ploy that will do nothing to lower energy prices and represents another big giveaway to oil companies already making billions in profits. “The facts are clear: Oil companies have already had ample opportunity to increase...

Democrat claims that leases are “sitting idle” are FALSE and MISLEADING.Here are the facts: FACT: Once a lease is secured, a long, comprehensive exploration process begins that“can require years of mapping, testing, drilling and construction” and can cost “millions or even billions of dollars.” Bidding on, paying for and securing a lease is not a license to drill, nor can production occur immediately. Even after “time delays” associated with initial leasing and drilling of exploratory wells, it has taken nearly a decade to produce energy on leases in the past. Democrats mislead when they say a classification of “not in...