U.S. CONGRESSMAN BILL JOHNSON Proudly Representing Eastern and Southeastern Ohio

Congressman Bill Johnson (R-Marietta) issued the following statement today regarding a third piece of legislation passed in the U.S. House of Representatives to help lower gas prices and put the U.S. on the path to energy security:

“We have the resources available in our country to meet our growing energy needs, but too many wrong-headed policies are keeping them under lock and key. The U.S. House of Representatives this week took important steps to opening up our resources and setting oil and natural gas production goals that will help make us energy secure and economically secure. While some believe that raising taxes on oil companies and imposing burdensome regulations are the way to go, I wholeheartedly disagree with an approach that will cost jobs and force us to continue relying on foreign sources of energy. I’m proud to have voted for legislation that will help lower gas prices and will put Americans back to work.”

NOTE: Today, the U.S. House approved the Reversing President Obama’s Offshore Moratorium Act, which will lift the President’s ban on new offshore drilling by requiring the Administration to move forward on American energy production in areas containing the most oil and natural gas resources. Over the last week, the House has also approved the:

• Restarting American Offshore Leasing Now Act, which expands American energy production and creates jobs by requiring the Secretary of the Interior to conduct oil and natural gas lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico and offshore Virginia that have been delayed or cancelled by the Obama Administration. Click here to watch my speech in the U.S. House on this important bill.

• Putting the Gulf Back to Work Act, which will end the Obama Administration’s de facto drilling moratorium in a safe, responsible, transparent manner – putting thousands of Americans back to work and increasing American energy production to help address rising gasoline prices.