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WHITE CITY, Ore. — U.S. Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.) today highlighted a group of House-passed energy bills intended to increase production, stop policies that drive up gas prices, and help create jobs.

Walden toured White City-based River Hawk Boats this morning, a manufacturer that employs 25 people in southern Oregon. The company’s owner told Walden that they have seen more than a 30 percent spike in their energy-related costs.

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, energy produced from federal lands is at a nine-year low. Total fossil fuel production (oil, natural gas, and coal) has dropped by 7 percent since 2009 and is down 13 percent since 2003. From 2010 to 2011, total federal oil and natural gas production is down 14 percent and 11 percent, respectively.

“More than ever before, this country needs a true all-of-the-above domestic energy and conservation policy,” Walden said. “Small businesses account for 65 percent of the new jobs created in the United States. For a full economic recovery, we need access to affordable energy so our job creators can get the private sector going again. The House has passed nine bills as part of the American Energy Initiative to increase domestic energy production and decrease our dependence on foreign energy.”

The bills, listed below, await action in the Senate:

• Energy Tax Prevention Act(H.R. 910) – Prevents the Obama administration from imposing a job-crushing “cap and trade” national energy tax that will drive up gasoline prices and destroy American jobs.

• Restarting American Offshore Leasing Now Act(H.R. 1230) – Requires the Secretary of the Interior to conduct offshore lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico and offshore Virginia that have been delayed or canceled by the Obama Administration.

• Putting the Gulf of Mexico Back to Work Act(H.R. 1229) – Ends the de facto moratorium on American energy production in the Gulf of Mexico in a safe and transparent manner by setting firm timelines for considering new drilling permits.

• Reversing President Obama’s Offshore Moratorium Act(H.R. 1231) – Lifts the president’s ban on new offshore drilling by allowing new production to go forward in areas containing the most oil and natural gas resources.

• Jobs and Energy Permitting Act of 2011(H.R. 2021) – Helps end permitting delays by the Obama administration and unlock access to an estimated 27 billion barrels of oil and 132 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in Alaska.

• North American-Made Energy Security Act(H.R. 1938)– Would have required a decision by President Obama on the popular Keystone XL pipeline, which he eventually rejected and personally lobbied Democratic Senators to oppose.

• Transparency in Regulatory Analysis of Impacts on the Nation (TRAIN) Act(H.R. 2401)– Requires a study of the cumulative impacts of Obama administration rules on jobs, energy prices, and electric reliability, and would stop implementation of two of the most damaging rules for coal and coal-fired power.

• Protecting Next Generation Energy Security (PIONEERS) Act(H.R. 3408) – Sets clear rules and remove regulatory barriers preventing the production of U.S. oil shale, offshore, and ANWR resources.

• Hydropower Development and Rural Jobs Act(H.R. 2842)– Would help expand production of clean, renewable hydropower by cutting red tape and getting government out of the way.