Foxx Statement On Lifting Offshore Drilling Ban

The following is from a press release from NC Congresswoman Virginia Foxx

Rep. Virginia Foxx statement on lifting of offshore drilling ban

Congresswoman Virginia Foxx released the following statement today after President Bush lifted the executive order that banned offshore oil drilling:

“With the elimination of the executive ban on drilling on the Outer Continental Shelf it is now up to Congress to give coastal states the ability to develop new sources of domestic energy. Until Congress lifts its ban on drilling, billions of barrels of American oil remain under lock and key.

“Increasing our domestic supply of oil will help reduce the cost of gas, signaling America’s willingness to develop American-made energy. New deepwater drilling is a critical part of a comprehensive approach to bringing down the cost of gas and ending America’s dependence on oil from the Middle East.

“Congress must act now to lift the congressional ban on offshore drilling and show hard-working Americans that we are serious about easing the pain at the pump. We must pursue an “all of the above” energy strategy that taps into both American innovation and American sources of energy, from domestic oil in northern Alaska to solar power in the southwest and everything in between.”