Coastal and Marine Economies Protection Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Chair, I thank my friend and Ranking Member Bishop for yielding.

Mr. Chair, I rise in strong opposition to this misguided legislation. This legislation will put the United States at a distinct disadvantage with the rest of the world by taking some of our country's most valuable energy deposits off-limits to exploration. By the way, these are the people of the United States' resources.

Under the current administration, America is experiencing an energy renaissance. By taking an all-of-the-above approach to energy policy, this administration has kick-started unprecedented growth in our energy production. For the first time since the 1950s, the United States will become a net exporter of oil and natural gas, providing great benefits for our economy and our national security. However, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle want to make these successes short-term phenomena.

By permanently putting both the Atlantic and Pacific Outer Continental Shelves off-limits to oil and gas exploration, this bill ties one hand behind our Nation's back. Instead of making potential bountiful energy deposits off-limits to development, this Congress should be interested in making sure that these deposits are responsibly developed. Technological advancements in offshore energy development have made it safer than ever before.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to oppose this legislation.
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Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Chair, I rise today to offer an amendment that changes the title of this legislation to something more fitting, that being the ``Russian Energy Reliance and United States Poverty Act.''

The consequences of this legislation becoming law would have devastating, long-term impacts on the economic and national security of the United States. Putting both the Atlantic and Pacific Outer Continental Shelves permanently off-limits to oil and gas development puts the United States at a distinct disadvantage to the rest of the world.

We have already seen how policies from liberal States that are along the same lines of this legislation have caused certain parts of the country to become dependent upon Russian energy. New England, for example, was forced to import Russian natural gas in the wintertime because of the ludicrous decision by the State of New York not to allow pipelines to be built through the State.

The legislation before us today would have similar consequences. As existing oil and gas deposits begin to run dry, new deposits will need to be extracted, many of which are located on the Pacific and Atlantic Outer Continental Shelves.

Putting these deposits off-limits would cause us to go back to the old days of the old normal that had become commonplace under the previous administration. The old normal of relying on foreign adversaries such as Russia to meet our energy needs is preposterous.

The Members across the aisle may try to hide their intentions, but they are becoming clearer every day. They want to dismantle our domestic oil and gas industry, an industry that employs close to 10 million people and plays a critical role in our Nation's energy security.

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Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Chair, I find it interesting that we are even debating this because, if it was such a poor decision, maybe the Rules Committee should not have made it in order. So, there is compliance from the other side.

When we start looking at this aspect, we have to be truthful to the American people. The American people see the jargon that we actually come up with in this body, and they want to have a straight shot-- common sense. This is exactly what it should be titled because we are taking inventory off that belonged to the American people.

Yes, I am one of those who believes in all-of-the-above energy policies. What we have to tell them and explain to them is that there is a difference between baseload power and intermittent power.

Renewables do not have baseline power. To have a reliable electric grid that everybody depends upon, we have to have both. Green energy does not produce that application of baseload power, unless we are talking about hydro, and that we don't even consider a green energy anymore, from the other side.

I think we need to be clear to the American people where these jobs are. They are good-paying jobs, $90,000 and above with benefits.

When we take away these types of reserves, it really is victimizing the American people. That is not something I want to do. I want to make sure that they are empowered.

These resources belong to the American people, and there is no reason why we shouldn't be able to use them and extract them diligently and cleanly.

Mr. Chair, I ask everybody to vote for this, to be clear to the American public what this stands for, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

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Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman from Utah for yielding.

Part of this body's responsibility is the public charge of looking at the resources of the American people. These resources do not belong to a single State, whether it be South Carolina, California, New Jersey, Wyoming or anything else. These are the public charge of the American people to this body of Congress, and part of the public charge is to understand what type of resources and the value those resources have to that public charge in regard to the people of this country.

So doing our due diligence, it is a mandatory aspect that we undertake this charge to understand what that responsibility is to the American people. In some of the next amendments, you will actually see some of that public charge in that regard.

This is an undertaking that is specifically null and void based upon what we owe the American people for the due diligence of this body in regard to the ownership of which they have of the Outer Continental Shelf. The magnitude is of inconsequential application. I ask everybody to vote against this amendment.

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Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to offer an amendment that allows the section 2 moratorium in this bill to go into effect when the Department of the Interior, in consultation with the Department of Labor, certifies that the offshore energy moratorium in the bill will not kill a substantial number of minority and women jobs.

Under the current administration, unemployment has reached record lows. In August, the national unemployment rate sat at 3.7 percent, with the unemployment rate for African American workers sitting at 5.5 percent, breaking the previous record of 5.9 percent which was set in May of 2018 under the same administration.

According to a recent jobs report from The Washington Post--hardly a bastion of conservative credentialing--nearly 90 percent of the jobs added under this administration have gone to minority communities. This is astounding. This can be attributed to the first time a majority of new hires are people between the ages of 25 and 54, and they are from the minority communities.

According to statistics published by the American Petroleum Institute, minorities will comprise one-third of the total workforce in the oil and gas sector by 2030. Women already comprise more than 15 percent of the oil and gas workforce. These are good-paying jobs, paying $90,000, that hardworking families depend upon.

This legislation puts these employment opportunities at risk by putting off limits potentially viable and valuable offshore energy opportunities in the eastern Gulf of Mexico that are the property of the American people.

For the first time since the 1950s, the United States will soon be a net exporter of oil and natural gas, something that at one time was unthinkable. America's energy renaissance has boosted the economies of previously left-behind towns throughout the country and turned them into vibrant communities.

Mr. Chairman, this commonsense amendment protects minority and women jobs and puts the interests of the American workforce first and foremost. It is very clear-cut, something that the American people can fully understand.

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Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Chair, I thought I heard that this has nothing to do with the bill. If that is the case, I take umbrage with that, and maybe we ought to take it up with the Parliamentarian. The majority actually put this in order, so I think it does pertain to this bill.

I also heard that we can't have our cake and eat it too, that it is all about visitation and enjoying the outdoors. How does that work for Colorado? How does that work for Wyoming? How does that work for Arizona? We actually have our cake and can eat it too.

Once again, I remind everybody that these are the property of the American people, not of individual States.

I get it. You are closest to this, so you are implicated in some way or form. But I also want to remind you that, particularly in the Pacific, natural slicks of oil exist naturally. It is something that nature actually takes care of. With that aspect, it is very important.

The power of a job is very, very important. It empowers people. It doesn't victimize them. It is very important that we are astute as to where we are putting people to work.

By the way, if we don't have good jobs, how can we travel to go visit these wonderful sites, enjoy a boat ride going out and fishing in those areas?

When you start to look at some of our plentiful playgrounds of these areas, look no further than Alaska, one of the most plentiful, bountiful areas for fish and wildlife. People come from around the world to see that, yet they have their cake and eat it too.

Once again, I want to make sure that people are empowered with these good-paying jobs, particularly those of minority, those of gender. These are important applications that facilitate upward mobility of people.

This is a very timely amendment, something that is vastly overdue. We need to consider the consequences when we do actions that are consequential.

Mr. Chair, this is a very timely amendment. I ask everybody to vote for this amendment.

Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

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Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

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