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As House Republicans begin consideration today of the Domestic Energy and Jobs Act, a bill to increase onshore energy production, create jobs and cut government red tape, the Obama Administration is desperately trying to prove that it supports American energy by finally holding a President Bush-era Gulf of Mexico lease sale after repeated delays.

“The Obama Administration is setting records for delays and cancellations when it comes to offshore energy production. While the Obama Administration has now canceled and delayed more offshore lease sales than they have held, that is not stopping them from patting themselves on the back for holding a lease sale that was originally scheduled by the previous Administration. Today’s combined lease sale includes one that was delayed for a year by the Obama Administration and another that has been scheduled to take place this year since 2007. President Obama is not fooling anyone into thinking he suddenly supports increased offshore American energy production after he spent the last three and a half years driving rigs overseas, putting thousands of people out of work and devastating local economies through his anti-energy policies,”said House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings.

“President Obama’s true intentions for future American offshore energy production are revealed in his draft five-year offshore lease plan, which closes the vast majority of America’s most promising areas to energy production and offers no new areas for energy exploration. If President Obama was serious about job creation and economic growth he would develop a plan to offer new areas for offshore energy production, similar to the bipartisan plan that passed the House and would create over one million new jobs. Unfortunately for the American people, the Administration is no more serious about new American energy production than they are about new American job creation.”

Table A: Proposed Final Program for 2007-2012—Lease Sale Schedule

Source:Proposed Final Program Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program 2007-2012