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Big Oil Does Not Need More Land to Lease; They Should Use it or Lose it

June 24, 2008
Blog

The American people are looking for real energy solutions that will bring down prices at the pump. Unfortunately, all they are getting from Washington Republicans are more of the same old policies that are actually responsible for the high gas prices in the first place.

The Republican solution is to open up more of our pristine land and our ocean to oil drilling. They neglect to say that Big Oil already has leases for 68 million acres that, for whatever reason, Big Oil refuses to explore. Experts estimate that these 68 million acres of leased land could produce about 4.8 million barrels of oil, which would nearly double our nation's total production.

Why should we give Big Oil access to more of our land and water when they refuse to drill on 68 million acres they already have?

And if drilling is indeed the answer to high gas prices, as my Republican friends always claim, why aren't they demanding that Big Oil start drilling on these lands?

This week House Republicans will have an opportunity to act on their rhetoric by supporting Democratic legislation that tells Big Oil to either use it or lose it.