WASHINGTON, D.C.—House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) hosted colleagues, Rep. Mark Walker (R-N.C.), Rep. Greg Gianforte (R-Mont.), Rep. John Curtis (R-Utah), and Rep. Jodey Arrington (R-Texas), as well as Deputy Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette, on his 10th Offshore Energy Tour. The group visited the Olympus TLP, an offshore drilling platform off the coast of Louisiana in the Gulf of Mexico, and joined an industry roundtable hosted by Port Fourchon and the South Central Industrial Association. The members saw firsthand how vital America’s energy independence is to our economy and national security, and the importance of expanding our offshore energy production.
The Congressmen begin their trip to the Olympus TLP.
The Congressmen and Deputy Secretary listen during the roundtable with industry leaders.
“ATOP THE OLYMPUS TLP OIL RIG IN THE GULF OF MEXICO — With one arm snaked around his crutches and the other gripping a handrail, Steve Scalise climbed gingerly up hundreds of stairs to the peak control room of a hulking oil rig 77 miles off the coast of Louisiana.
“By all accounts, Scalise, the House majority whip, shouldn’t have been here. Doctors said he was millimeters away from death in June after a gunman’s bullet ripped through his hip and pelvis, injuring internal organs during an early morning softball practice. Scalise only recently ditched his electric scooter and started walking again with crutches.
“’Who’s wearing the Fitbit?’ Scalise, donning navy coveralls and a yellow hard hat, joked as he neared the top, some 200 feet above water.”
…
“Scalise returned to the House last fall after several months in the hospital recovering from the shooting. But reminders of that day still follow him everywhere, including on Tuesday’s oil rig tour. His purple crutches stood out against a maze of gray piping and steel that make up the 40-story high Shell rig called Olympus. He moved slowly as rig workers showed him and four fellow Republican lawmakers the massive drill bits and wells used to extract oil more than 22,000 feet below the ocean floor.
“Never far from his side was U.S. Capitol Police Special Agent David Bailey, the man who saved Scalise’s life and, along with another agent, killed the gunman. During a roundtable discussion back on shore that afternoon, a roomful of local business leaders erupted in applause when Scalise introduced Bailey to his constituents.”
…
“Despite his impaired mobility, Scalise has tried to return to normal as quickly as possible. After an eight-hour surgery in January, he was supposed to go home to rest but instead went straight to the Capitol amid the fight over a government shutdown.”
…
“The past nine years, Scalise has invited lawmakers to Louisiana to learn about offshore oil production that support his district’s bayou economy. His guests this year included GOP Reps. Mark Walker of North Carolina, Jodey Arrington of Texas, John Curtis of Utah and Greg Gianforte of Montana.”
…
“Shell officials gave the members tours of what essentially operates as a mini-city on water, taking them through everything from the oil drilling process to the purification of salt water for drinking and life on the rig.
“’Where’s the karaoke room?’ Scalise said at one point when a rig-dweller talked about how he spends his free time.
“Scalise was plainly in good spirits showing off his home turf. When Arrington complained about a high-pitched noise during the helicopter ride en route to the rig, Scalise cracked that it was revenge for those in the cabin who voted against the recent omnibus package. (Walker and Gianforte opposed the measure.)
“During lunch, he praised the rig cooks, declaring that ‘this is better than Rayburn’ House Office Building cafeteria food.
“Scalise also talked to his colleagues about coastal erosion, the types of crude oil his district exports to other countries and his desire to open up more of the Gulf to drilling. The members asked officials about regulations that hurt the industry.
“If Scalise was physically hurting after the long day of climbing, he didn’t show it.
“’I may be a little bit slower this year,’ he said, ‘but it felt good to be out there.’”
Click here to read the full article.
Click here or on the image above to watch the clip.
“Congressman Steve Scalise is working to fight coastal erosion. This week, he toured offshore rigs with other members of Congress. He says it’s an important industry because revenue from offshore energy is used to help stop coastal erosion, and to put it in perspective, he told us the state loses a football field of land every hour.”
Click here or on the image above to watch the clip.
“This is the 10th year in a row we’ve done this tour. I started it when I came into Congress in 2008. It’s a great way to showcase to members of Congress from all around the country just how we produce energy in the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico. We meet with a lot of local business owners that service the oil field. We talk a lot about coastal erosion. We fly over the coast as we are going towards the rigs–60 miles offshore. I show them just how much land we’ve lost and continue to lose.”
Click here or on the image above to watch the clip.
“It was important for other Congressmen to understand how here in Louisiana, we’ve made a link between offshore drilling and coastal restoration. Scalise explained how money the state receives from revenue sharing or profits of oil drilling, go to coastal restoration. For example, on today’s tour, was Congressman Mark Walker from North Carolina, who Scalise says, could see how to allocate critical funds to areas in need in his state. Scalise took the group to the shell drilling platform in the Gulf. They also met with stakeholders in the energy industry. Scalise today also touted his recent work to raise the cap on how much money the state is allowed to receive in revenue from drilling.”