Nick Rahall

Mr. RAHALL

Mr. RAHALL. I appreciate my friend from Texas yielding. The due diligence requirements or timeline that you asked for submission into the Record, that is perfectly allowed under my bill. We would not grab a lease. If a company is showing due diligence, if a company is moving toward production of oil or gas on Federal leases, we don't touch them.

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I would simply remind the distinguished minority leader, if my memory serves me correctly, the minority party was in control of both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue for some 6 years, both Houses of Congress. I don't recall this legislation or any serious energy policy being adopted during that time period. Mr. Speaker, I fully agree with the minority leader about developing all of our domestic reserves. Coming from a coal area, certainly I agree with that scenario, that we need to develop all of our domestic resources, and in a non-partisan fashion as well. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Emanuel).

Mr. RAHALL. Yes, we do. We will bring it in. Right here.

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Israel).

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. DeFazio) to reply.

Mr. RAHALL. I yield the gentleman 30 additional seconds

Mr. RAHALL. We have these maps that are identified, that we have shown.

Mr. RAHALL. Would the gentleman tell us the same about the OCS, where the President is proposing to lift this moratorium?

Mr. RAHALL. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, just to remind all of my colleagues, if this administration were not playing politics with oil, why does the President not just by one stroke of the pen sign an executive order lifting these lands that the other side claims should be open? That's all it takes, a stroke of the pen to lift the moratorium on these lands for drilling. Instead, he puts a political pointer at this body. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. DeFazio). Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlelady from California (Mrs. Capps).

Mr. RAHALL. Sure. If the gentleman will yield, I will be happy to answer the question.

Mr. RAHALL. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, today this body is considering responsible legislation aimed at compelling the oil industry to do what it should do best, drill for oil and bring relief to Americans at the pumps. That may seem like an odd notion, and certainly we will hear criticism from our Republican colleagues who continue to coddle Big Oil and pander to the industry's political agenda. And there are many in the industry who will not want to hear this side of the aisle say we are for drilling for oil. My approach is slightly different. Big Oil does not need to be coddled, it needs a swift kick in the backside. While Democrats in Congress know that we cannot drill our way to energy independence and continue to advocate for the development of alternative fuels and increased energy conservation, we also know that we must increase our supply of oil in the interim. I repeat; in this legislation we are not against drilling for oil. That is why today, with this legislation, we are saying ``Drill it or lose it.'' The Federal Government makes vast swaths of public lands, both onshore and underlying the Gulf of Mexico, available for oil and gas development. What we are finding, however, is that the industry is stockpiling these oil and gas leases. At present, 68 million acres of Federal lands are being held by oil and gas companies with no production occurring on these leases. That acreage is equal to the size of Colorado. Considering today's oil prices, you would think that they would either diligently develop that acreage, bring any oil found into production, or relinquish the leases. The pending legislation would require this diligent development during the term of an oil and gas lease, and if it does not occur, the leaseholder would not be allowed to lease even more Federal lands. It's simple, ``use it or lose it,'' and allow another company to make a go at that leased land. Obviously, we have a much better chance to bring relief at the pump by producing oil on Federal lands already held by the oil companies much quicker than having to go through the environmental lawsuits of leasing and permitting required if we were to take the President's method and just open up OCS and ANWR immediately. We have a much better chance, Mr. Speaker, to help Americans grapple with the high cost of fuel by drilling in those Federal lands and waters already open to development. Over 80 percent of estimated oil and gas resources on Federal lands, both onshore and offshore, are available for development or will be shortly, pending the completion of planning documents. The amount of oil which could be produced from these areas represents 14 years of current domestic oil consumption. Think about that, 14 years; yet President Bush and his Republican allies continue to rally behind the oil industry's political agenda, advocating opening more of America's Federal land, including coastal areas and pristine environmental areas, to drilling. In response to this scheme I say to Big Oil and its allies, ``You've got 'em. Use 'em.'' Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, the gentleman has not even read the bill. If everything he says on that chart is true, that is due diligence. The companies get to hold their lease, under this legislation. I am very glad to yield 2 minutes to a member of our Appropriations Committee, the distinguished gentleman from New York (Mr. Hinchey).

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, reserving the right to object, did she say 10 minutes on each side?

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6251) to prohibit the Secretary of the Interior from issuing new Federal oil and gas leases to holders of existing leases who do not diligently develop the lands subject to such existing leases or relinquish such leases, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

Mr. RAHALL. I'm glad my colleague from West Virginia answered the previous speaker on the Republican side and explained the bill. But let me further clarify what the bill does and does not do, and current law. Currently, the law allows leaseholders 10 years to develop oil or gas. Our bill used to cut it down to 5 years. We have now upped it back up to the 10 years to try to satisfy some of the critics concerned with this legislation. Yet, they are still not pleased, of course. Existing leases can be cancelled if leaseholders fail to comply with lease provisions, such as public safety and environmental requirements. Yet, there's no law or regulation that requires diligent development on Federal oil and gas leases. That is what we are doing here, is requiring this due diligence. As long as the leaseholders paid the required annual rental fee, the government cannot compel diligent development of the leased lands. Our bill requires oil and gas operators to diligently develop oil and gas leases, as is currently required of coal leaseholders, I might remind my colleague from West Virginia. We had this same regime in place for Federal coal leasing. It was put in place when coal was in its boom days. What we are doing for oil and gas now is what we have done with coal and other commodities that are produced on the land that the people of the United States own. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Yarmuth).

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Markey).

Mr. RAHALL. Our Committee on Natural Resources has extrapolated out the figures from current production on Federal lands, those figures coming from the Energy Administration, the same department that the administration uses.

Mr. RAHALL. I have no objection.

Mr. RAHALL. If the gentleman will yield.

Mr. RAHALL

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I'll be glad to yield to the distinguished dean of the House of Representatives--the gentleman from Michigan, a dear friend to all of us regardless of our position on this issue-- Chairman John Dingell, 5 minutes. (Mr. DINGELL asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)