Scalise leads 129 Republicans in calling on Biden to issue offshore energy leasing plan

Concerned about what they deem is President Joe Biden’s war on American energy, U.S. House Republican Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA) led 129 of his Republican colleagues in urging the president to issue an offshore energy leasing plan for the United States.

“Instead of begging OPEC and Russia to increase oil production, I have called on President Biden to look to places like offshore Louisiana and Port Fourchon in my district so we can unleash American energy, create good jobs and lower costs for hard-working families,” Rep. Scalise said.

Rep. Scalise and the lawmakers requested that Biden issue a five-year offshore leasing plan that includes regular annual lease sales in America’s offshore areas, according to their Oct. 17 letter sent to the president.

The offshore leasing program is required under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, which mandates that the U.S. Department of the Interior finalize a five-year plan before any leasing can occur, according to the members’ letter.

While previous administrations have smoothly transitioned between such leasing schedules, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland delayed the release of a proposed program that, according to the lawmakers, now ensures that the nation spends the rest of this year without a finalized offshore leasing schedule.

“By allowing for the possibility of no new offshore leasing for the next five years, your administration decided to stick with the same “Green New Deal” agenda that caused energy catastrophes in Europe and California and has led to skyrocketing gasoline and electricity prices for hard-working families,” wrote Rep. Scalise and his colleagues.

Any final program released by the Biden administration should include, at a minimum, 11 lease sales to take full advantage of the nation’s offshore energy resources, they wrote, noting that the leases scheduled under this new plan be held and issued in a timely manner and defended.

“A predictable leasing schedule will not only help reduce energy costs now for everyday Americans,” wrote Rep. Scalise and the lawmakers, “but it will drive more investment into the energy sector and guarantee a steady flow of American energy into the future.

“It is time to unleash our nation’s vast energy resources and give the American people the relief that is desperately needed,” according to their letter, which received support from several Louisiana stakeholders and parish leaders.