WASHINGTON, D.C. – In response to the Department of Interior’s final 5-year offshore oil and gas leasing program released today, Christopher Guith, Senior Vice President of the U.S. Chamber’s Global Energy Institute, made the following statement:
“After allowing the offshore leasing program to lapse for the first time in history, the Biden Administration released a proposed final program today that is truly nonsensical. Despite the fact that Gulf of Mexico energy production is among the cleanest in the world, the new 5-year plan provides the fewest lease sales ever offered and even those aren’t guaranteed. Just a short time ago, the President was chiding oil companies for not producing enough in an effort to combat high energy prices. Now, even though high prices persist, his Administration won’t even hold a lease sale for well over a year. As a result of this Administration’s actions, energy production will move elsewhere, costing the United States jobs and harming our energy security. We urge the White House to reconsider.”