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Congressman Steve Scalise today released the following statement after the Bureau of Land Management’s proposed plan for oil shale and oil sands leasing on Western lands. BLM published its proposal today, which will block off an additional 1.6 million acres of federal lands from leasing.

“After campaigning on a promise to support an all of the above energy strategy, it’s an insult to the American people that President Obama would break that promise just three days after the election by closing off more federal lands to energy development,” Scalise said.  The Obama Administration’s announcement today that it plans to block an additional 1.6 million acres from energy development is a slap in the face to families all across our country who are being held hostage to our dependence on Middle Eastern oil, not to mention the millions of Americans who remain out of work because of President Obama’s policies. These lands contain about 1.5 trillion barrels of recoverable oil and hold enormous potential for our national energy security, and it is inexcusable that President Obama continues to doubledown on his failed agenda of shutting down areas for safe energy development.  Rather than opening up domestic resources that would reduce our dependence on Middle Eastern oil, President Obama continues to pursue the same restrictive policies that have made America less energy secure, increased our dependence on Middle Eastern oil, and raised the price at the pump.  America cannot continue to rely on Middle Eastern countries that don’t like us for our oil, and it’s time for President Obama to recognize that and work with us to create thousands of American jobs, decrease our dependence on foreign oil, and lower prices at the pump.”