Offshore Energy and Jobs Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. SCHNEIDER. Mr. Speaker, this is the final amendment to the bill, which will not kill the bill or send it back to committee. If adopted, the bill will immediately proceed to final passage, as amended.

I rise to offer this motion to recommit to ensure, first, that one of our Nation's most important natural resources, our Great Lakes basin, is protected from untenable energy exploitation risk; and, second, that as we explore additional ways to boost domestic energy production, we do so with an appropriate emphasis on creating jobs here in America.

Our Great Lakes are truly unique. Within these lakes sit 95 percent of the United States' surface water and 20 percent of the world's surface water. Straddling the United States and Canada, the Great Lakes--Superior, Michigan, Huron, Ontario and Erie--have more than 10,000 miles of coastline, touching eight States: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and New York.

Not only a critical source of drinking water, the lakes are integral to the country for transportation, power generation, and recreational opportunity. Over 30 million Americans in cities, towns, and rural communities depend on the Great Lakes for their lives and livelihoods.

In fact, according to the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan, taken as a whole, the Great Lakes region economy would be the second largest economy in the world, second only to that of the United States.

The Great Lakes support an incredible biodiversity, including almost 200 species of native fish and scores of species found nowhere else in the world. In short, as one of our Nation's greatest treasures, we cannot put the Great Lakes at risk from oil and gas drilling of any kind.

My amendment is quite simple and straightforward. With it, I only seek to ensure that the Great Lakes will remain protected and off-limits from unjustifiable environmental risk. It safeguards Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Superior, Lake Erie, and Lake Ontario from potentially detrimental and irreversible harm and provides necessary protections against potentially irresponsible exploitation of our natural resources.

In my own State, the Great Lakes annually contribute over $200 billion in economic activity for Illinois. Lake Michigan alone provides drinking water for 7 million Illinois residents. It brings 20 million visitors annually to Illinois, supports 33,000 jobs, and generates $3.2 billion in economic activity.

As we explore ways for the United States to become more energy independent, we cannot lose sight of the importance of protecting our environment and establishing commonsense rules of where and how we can effectively, safely utilize our natural resources.

Preserving the prohibition on drilling the Great Lakes provides economic security to thousands of businesses, large and small, that depend on the lakes every day for trade, recreation, and tourism. It also protects the health of our communities and the health of our wildlife.

Let me be clear: the underlying legislation, while focusing on drilling in the Outer Continental Shelf, has other provisions that relate to domestic energy production and may, when implemented, have implications for the Great Lakes.

The bill specifically restricts oil and gas leasing in the eastern Gulf of Mexico and should also include a restriction on new oil and gas leasing in the Great Lakes basin. This clarifying amendment is, therefore, necessary to ensure that our energy policy does not compromise our Great Lakes ecosystem, does not threaten our single greatest fresh water supply, and does not unduly put our Great Lakes basin economy at unwarranted risk.

In addition to protecting the Great Lakes, the amendment I am proposing today would also encourage companies seeking leases to drill for oil and gas found in America to use materials and products made in America.

This additional provision will ensure that U.S. oil and gas resources will benefit American workers, as well as provide new business opportunities for American manufacturers. As we pursue a diversified energy portfolio, we must continue to ensure that America's natural resources benefit the American people and are not unfairly diverted to the benefit of foreign suppliers and foreign workers.

Mr. Speaker, the essential provisions of this amendment will only improve the underlying bill, while protecting Americans' jobs and our environment. I strongly urge my colleagues to support these commonsense changes.

I yield back the balance of my time.

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