WASHINGTON, DC – House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) today at a leadership press conference discussed the effects of one-size-fits-all, Washington regulations on America’s energy industry.
Remarks:
“Every year I bring members down to go to the Gulf of Mexico and tour a deepwater rig in the Gulf. And we did that last week; I had eight members come down—a bipartisan coalition—and we went out to a rig over 200 miles south of the coast, and saw how energy is produced in the deep waters.
“We were on a rig that produces over 70,000 barrels of oil a day in over 7,000 feet of water. And after that, we went and toured Port Fourchon, talked to people that work in the oil industry and talked about the challenges they face.
“One of the things that they face that may come out from the Department of Interior this week is the ‘well control rule’—a rule that if brought forward by the administration in its current form would actually reduce safety in drilling. And people that actually drill for a living safely pointed out how this rule, a one-size-fits-all rule from Washington, could actually make it less safe for drilling in places like the Gulf of Mexico.
“That’s the last thing we need at a time when we’re closer to energy independence—when our country is creating thousands of jobs. We don’t need a rule from Washington that actually makes it harder to drill safely for American energy.”