from a release by U.S. Sen. David Vitter:

(Washington, D.C.) –U.S. Sen. David issued the following statement in response to the Obama administration announcement that it will pursue offshore drilling in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico and resource assessments off the coast of Virginia.

“I applaud the president for appearing to finally recognize that we need energy independence by increasing our own domestic supply while simultaneously continuing a full court press on developing tangible alternative and renewable fuels.  Of course, any offshore drilling expansion must include revenue sharing for states that produce offshore energy, like Louisiana.  Those revenues are each state’s fair share for carrying the load of energy production for the nation and could ultimately contribute to creating healthier state budgets – lessening their need for federal spending assistance. 

“As a big advocate of increasing offshore drilling and lease sales, I hope this is a good faith effort on the part of the president, but those lease sales could still be torpedoed in the courts by environmental lawsuits unless we change regulations to expedite the drilling process.  That’s just one of the many components of my No Cost Stimulus Act, which would expand on the president’s announcement today and open up many more areas for offshore production while also expediting the legal process to actually get the drilling going – including in Louisiana’s own portion of the Gulf, as the president’s announcement today mostly benefits Florida in the Eastern Gulf region,” said Vitter.

Earlier this year, Vitter led a letter to the president signed by more than 52 members of Congress in both the House of Representatives and the Senate calling for the consideration of his No Cost Stimulus Act.