Addressing High Gas Prices And Ensuring America's Energy Security

Dear Friend,

While traveling around our community recently, it was clear that the steadily increasing price of gas is hurting hard-working families. Gas prices in our community have now surpassed $4 per gallon, higher than the national average and up over $1 per gallon from just one year ago. These high prices are squeezing our pocketbooks, and there seems to be no end in sight. That's why my colleagues and I are taking action. We're proposing energy policies that will help address rising gas prices, create jobs and enhance our national and economic security by promoting energy independence for America.

Yesterday, the House passed legislation that will increase America's oil production to help address high gas prices and get people back to work. H.R. 1230, the Restarting American Offshore Leasing Now Act would direct that the oil and natural gas lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico and offshore Virginia that have been delayed or cancelled by the Obama Administration move forward. This would generate $40 million in new revenue over the next decade, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, and could help create thousands of jobs across the country.

This is only the beginning of our efforts. On Wednesday, I was joined by a number of my colleagues in launching the House Energy Action Team (HEAT). This team was created because the restrictive energy policies the Obama Administration has advanced are bringing unnecessary pain at the pump and costing our nation jobs. HEAT will promote energy policies, guided by our "all-of-the-above" energy approach that embraces all forms of energy production, to bolster domestic energy production, create jobs, address rising energy prices and enhance our national security by promoting energy independence for America.

California's 22nd district is a hub of energy production – so efforts to increase production can have a profound impact on our communities. Today, I am in Bakersfield with Congressman Darrell Issa, chair of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee for a hearing on domestic energy production, with a particular focus on increasing oil production. This hearing will bring together local and national experts to discuss impediments to increasing oil production and new technologies that can increase our ability to extract oil in a safe, effective and environmentally respectful way. Kern County produces more oil by itself than all but three states in the country and is a prime location to hold this hearing. Hearing the local perspective will also help my colleagues and I move forward in our efforts to develop policies to increase domestic energy production, create jobs, and ensure our nation's energy security.

I know this issue is very important to many of you, and would appreciate your feedback. To provide your opinion on this issue now, please answer the following question:

Do you think Congress' efforts to increase our domestic oil production could help address high gas prices now and in the future?

Click here to take the survey.

Sincerely,

Congressman Kevin McCarthy