Doc Hastings (R-Wash.), the new ranking minority member of the US House Natural Resources Committee, following Interior Secretary Ken Salazar's Feb. 4 order to the Bureau of Land Management to reject 77 successful bids at its Utah oil and gas lease sale this past December:
"This action will come as a disappointment to communities that were counting on these energy leases to generate high-wage jobs in these difficult economic times, and to all Americans who responded to record-high gas prices by telling their government to increase environmentally-responsible, American-made oil and gas development so our nation is less dependent on foreign imports and future price spikes that can cripple our economy.
"At a time when Congress is debating how best to stimulate our nation's economy, it's certainly not helpful to have the federal government telling companies that are willing to invest millions of their own dollars to create new jobs and new sources of American-made energy, to take their money elsewhere."
Contact Nick Snow at [email protected]
