Representative Mike Kelly’s Statement on the White House’s Decision to Release 30 Million Barrels of Oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve

Representative Mike Kelly’s Statement on the White House’s Decision to Release 30 Million Barrels of Oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Representative Mike Kelly (PA-03) issued the following statement in response to the Obama Administration’s announcement today that it will release 30 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve:

“Today’s decision by the President to dip into 4 percent of our Strategic Petroleum Reserve, which was designed to be used in times of energy, not political, emergencies, underscores how vulnerable this Administration’s energy policy has made us.

“On June 8, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) rejected a request by the International Energy Agency (IEA) to increase oil production levels, and so today, the White House and IEA have joined forces by unleashing 60 million barrels of oil onto global markets, half of which will come from America.

“We can no longer remain subject to the whims of OPEC or the winds of political change in volatile oil producing regions. We have the resources right here in America to meet our energy needs, we just have an Administration that lacks the political will to produce and develop those supplies.

“That is why I and my colleagues in the House have been passing legislation that will cut through the red tape and break down regulatory barriers that have stifled American energy production.

“Yesterday, the House passed the Jobs and Energy Permitting Act (H.R. 2021),  which would produce a million barrels per day of American energy by ending the Environmental Protection Agency’s policy of delaying drilling permits in Alaska’s Outer Continental Shelf.

“This is just one of many pieces of legislation Republicans have offered to eliminate permitting delays, block regulations that will drive up prices, and move forward on leases to allow energy exploration and development.

“Instead of tapping into our reserves, and, yet again, borrowing against the future, it’s time to tap into the vastly abundant energy resources right here at home and promote the responsible development of all forms of energy today for greater energy independence tomorrow.”

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