Strategic Production Response Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. TAKANO. 80.

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Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Chair, my amendment is simple in that it would improve the transparency of the process around the development of the plan required in the underlying bill.

Like other regulatory processes where public input is required, my amendment would require the Secretary to provide for an opportunity for at least a 90-day public comment period on the plan.

If Congress is going to open up more Federal land for oil and gas production, we must hear from the communities and stakeholders that would be affected by most of these projects. This amendment simply gives an opportunity for the public to offer their views and knowledge for the Secretary to consider in the formation of any plan.

Oil and gas drilling can be a terribly destructive process for the environment and the communities around these drilling sites. The individuals and families who must live near drilling sites are forced to experience the harsh day-to-day realities of air and water quality impacts, which can lead to increased risks of developing asthma, respiratory disease, cancer, and other harmful side effects.

If the Secretary is going to recommend a plan to expand more drilling, then we should hear from experts, stakeholders, and others who have a vested interest and allow them to participate openly and honestly in the process.

This is a simple, good-governance amendment. We are elected to Congress by the people, and it is the people who are affected who deserve a say in what happens in their communities.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on my amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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Mr. TAKANO. 81.

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Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Chair, my amendment would require the Secretary to consider the current number of inactive but approved Federal oil and gas leases and permits to drill in the development of any proposed plan. My amendment is vital to fully capturing the scope of unused oil and gas leases and permits to drill on Federal lands that companies are choosing not to utilize.

There are currently over 9,000 approved permits to drill on Federal land, yet my Republican colleagues want to open up even more Federal lands and approve additional permits to drill. The underlying bill is merely a politically motivated effort to undermine this administration's ability to tap into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve while opening up more Federal lands to exploitation by private-sector interests.

Before the Secretary can draft any plan that proposes expanded drilling on Federal lands, I believe it is important that it consider all information relevant to such a plan, and that includes how many leases and permits are already approved but left inactive.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

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Mr. TAKANO. 82.

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Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Chair, the United States is at the forefront of clean energy development and clean energy deployment globally. Not only are we developing countless private renewable energy projects across the country, but we have hundreds more wind, solar, and geothermal projects on Federal lands, with many more on the way.

If we are to remain a global leader in renewable energy deployment, then we should ensure any new oil and gas drilling does not impede the rapid deployment of renewable energy projects that are so critical to our energy independence and security.

Before we consider approving even more land for outdated and highly polluting forms of energy, we must continue on our march into the future and invest in renewable energy projects, not just on Federal lands but in every community that stands to benefit from these projects.

My amendment would require the Secretary to not only certify that increased oil and gas drilling on Federal lands will not negatively impact renewable energy project development but also prohibit the inclusion of any recommendations to expand such drilling in this plan if it would do so.

Yes, we must make gas affordable at the pump, but the President of the United States has already helped lower prices for the American people by drawing down the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. In fact, the underlying legislation would create additional barriers to keeping gas prices low.

The answer is not more drilling. The answer is to invest in renewable energy and to make these new technologies more affordable for everyday Americans.

If we want to keep the United States from falling second to China in the deployment of renewable energy projects, then we should be taking every reasonable step to continue their deployment. My amendment would do just that by ensuring the plan required in the underlying bill mitigates any impacts to renewable energy projects on Federal lands.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on my amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time. Point of Order

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Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Chair, I respectfully reject the point of order against my amendment. Adding limitations to the scope of the existing plan required in paragraph 1 falls squarely within the jurisdiction of the base text and the legislative intent of the bill.

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