U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy and U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins both reacted today to President Biden's 60-day moratorium on drilling in federal lands and waters.
U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins, R-LA, issued the following statement:
“President Biden’s war on the American oil and gas industry continues. It’s only been a few days since he imposed a job-killing 60-day moratorium, and now he’s extending that ban further. The President is determined to destroy American energy jobs and send production overseas. The argument that this helps our climate is absurd, especially given that American innovation is driving emissions reduction worldwide. Our new President certainly has made it clear that he’s all in to benefit the people of... China," Higgins said.
U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) today met with U.S. Representative Deb Haaland, nominee to be Secretary of the Interior, and former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm, nominee to be Secretary of Energy. Granholm will appear before the Energy and Natural Resources Committee tomorrow. Haaland’s nomination hearing has yet to be scheduled.
“Onshore and offshore oil and gas leasing are crucial to Louisiana’s energy workers, economy and coastal restoration efforts. President Biden’s plans to place a moratorium on oil and gas leasing will be devastating,” Cassidy says.“Energy will still be produced, but in countries with worse environmental standards, leading to worse global emissions. I made it clear this administration must be accountable to the workers and economy of our state.”
U.S. Sen. John Kennedy, R-LA, issued these statements:
“Today President Biden has issued an executive order that bans all new oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico and on other public lands throughout the United States. Now, look, I'm not going to bubble wrap this. This is bad. This is really bad. This is devastating to America. We have just become energy independent, but this is devastating to Louisiana. Our GDP in Louisiana is a little over a couple hundred billion dollars a year. I've seen studies that show fully a third of that is related to oil and gas, directly or indirectly. This is not just going to impact oil and gas jobs and families. This is going to hurt petrochemical. It's going to hurt our refineries. This is going to cause people to leave our state. If we lose all these jobs and people leave, the average age in Louisiana is going to be deceased.”
“I am very upset, and I want to ask all of my colleagues, my Democratic colleagues, in Louisiana and the legislature and local government, state government to please call President Biden. Call the White House and let them understand how much this is going to hurt Louisiana families.”
“I can't imagine anything right now—in the middle of a coronavirus when our economy is shut down—I can't imagine much that would be worse for Louisiana families.”
“I have introduced a bill today to reverse President Biden’s action. I've got to have some Democratic support in the Senate to pass it, but, if I can pass it, it's basically going to take away the power of President Biden to do this and require that we have at least two lease sales every year in the Gulf of Mexico.”
These meetings and statements came after reports of Biden's action. To read about that, click here. President Biden also announced he would revoke a key permit for the Keystone XL pipeline. To read about that, click here.
