Texas Insider Report--I applaud the decision yesterday by the U.S. District Court granting the request by Hornbeck and others for an injunction against the federal governments imposition of a general moratorium on deepwater drilling for oil in the Gulf of Mexico. The judge found that the report commissioned by the President made no effort to justify the moratorium said Jones.
I am also extremely disappointed that Secretary Ken Salazar is moving forward with his misguided plan to impose a blanket moratorium on deep water drilling said Jones.
It is wrong for the Administration to subject the people of the states including Texas along the Gulf of Mexico to further economic and financial distress by misplaced federal policy shutting down the development of Americas offshore energy resources. There is no justification for such a substantial loss of American jobs Jones said.
The Texas Railroad Commission is responsible for oversight of such matters in most instances within the state of Texas.
In a letter last week to the President I urged him to reconsider a moratorium that will cripple our offshore drilling industry. We must continue to allow exploration for oil and gas where the largest reserves can be found in our own deep water so that we can achieve maximum energy security.
We should greatly expand our use of natural gas of which America is blessed with substantial onshore resources. Greatly increasing our use of natural gas can reduce our future demand for refined crude.
Concluded the Commissioner Private industry not government must provide the engine of the growth of our future energy supplies as we move from our dependence on conventional resources in the decades to come.
In the meantime it is imperative that our energy development utilizes the safest drilling procedures conducted under the most prudent operating methods.
