Keith McCoy, vice president for energy and resources policy at the National Association of Manufacturers, on May 6 after US Reps. Tim Murphy (R-Pa.), Neil Abercrombie (D-Ha.) and other Democratic and Republican House members introduced legislation to accelerate oil and gas activity on the Outer Continental Shelf:
"This critical bill will not only expand development of the OCS, but also provide a revenue sharing scheme that will help fund carbon capture and sequestration projects and nuclear loan guarantees. This country can address its fiscal and energy challenges by expanding access to a diverse array of domestic energy sources. We must take every opportunity to tap America's own abundant energy resources to reduce our dependence on foreign oil and create jobs.
"Increased access to OCS natural gas will provide a badly-needed boost to manufacturing that is struggling in the weak economy. For many key manufacturing industries, such as plastics and chemicals, gas is both a feedstock and a source of energy. Expanded access to gas on the OCS will spur job creation and must be a key part of any viable energy policy.
"Reps. Murphy and Abercrombie and their colleagues on both sides of the aisle have demonstrated their commitment to increasing domestic energy supplies and lower America's energy bill with their latest proposal. They recognize the contribution that development of 420 trillion cubic feet of gas on the OCS, which is enough to heat 100 million American homes for five years, will make toward energy independence and economic growth."
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