Vitter blocks Interior nominee over Gulf drilling concerns - The Hill's E2-Wire
Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) said Wednesday he will block the nomination of a key Interior Department official until the Obama administration extends the life of Gulf of Mexico oil and gas leases by one year.
“If these leases are allowed to expire, they will revert to the federal government, killing jobs and cutting off potential revenue from exploration and production,” Vitter said in a statement. “The U.S. economy will greatly benefit by allowing the offshore energy industry to get to work and stay working.”
Vitter said he’ll block the nomination of Rebecca Wodder to be Interior’s assistant secretary for fish and wildlife and parks until the department "extends hundreds of Gulf of Mexico drilling leases that are set to expire this year."
President Obama announced in May that the administration will extend the life of leases in the Gulf that were affected by the administration’s post-BP-oil-spill moratorium on deepwater drilling. Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement is currently in the process of granting yearlong lease extensions to operators.
“Senator Vitter’s request is perplexing, and we expect that he will lift his hold since we took action on this a month and a half ago," Interior spokesman Adam Fetcher said in a statement.
Forgive me Mr Fletcher, but with your regieme we must use the modified Russian standard, Don't trust, but verify multiple times.
Thank you Senator Vitter for showing how it's done...Senator McConnell are you listening?
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