Dan Boren Blisters Interior Secretary
In a blistering letter to Department of the Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, Congressman Dan Boren declared today his opposition to recently announced “job-killing” rule changes regarding domestic oil and gas production on federal lands.
Boren also took offense to the "kings of the world" rhetoric used by Salazar on a recent conference call with reporters.
"This kind of comment is beyond the pale when thousands of Oklahomans and people from other energy-producing states are losing their jobs due to the recession. It’s the type of rhetoric that only serves to add insult to injury - like he's just trying to pile-on their misery," Boren said. “The energy industry is overwhelmingly made-up of independent producers that drill 90 percent of the wells in the U.S. They are the mom-and-pop outfits that run a handful of wells, the young entrepreneur seeking to expand his operation, or the regional company that employs hundreds or even thousands of people in communities across the nation. And quite frankly, they consider this brand of rancor as a slap in the face and a direct attack on their pride in having helped build this country’s economy and powering its future,” Boren said. “When did this Administration completely divorce itself of the direct correlation between the 'industry' itself and the millions of American jobs that it provides? These are small businesses. These are sorely-needed, well-paying American jobs.”
Some of Salazar's policy reforms would circumvent law approved by Congress, the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which passed the U.S. Senate with the support of both Salazar and President Obama when they were Senators. Boren’s letter highlighted his concerns that the measures run absolutely contrary to the Administration’s stated energy policy goals of job creation and energy independence. An additional cause of concern for Boren is that the new rules would lead to accelerated job loss in an industry that impacts millions of jobs nationwide at a time when unemployment is at record levels.
Boren also took offense to the "kings of the world" rhetoric used by Salazar on a recent conference call with reporters.
"This kind of comment is beyond the pale when thousands of Oklahomans and people from other energy-producing states are losing their jobs due to the recession. It’s the type of rhetoric that only serves to add insult to injury - like he's just trying to pile-on their misery," Boren said. “The energy industry is overwhelmingly made-up of independent producers that drill 90 percent of the wells in the U.S. They are the mom-and-pop outfits that run a handful of wells, the young entrepreneur seeking to expand his operation, or the regional company that employs hundreds or even thousands of people in communities across the nation. And quite frankly, they consider this brand of rancor as a slap in the face and a direct attack on their pride in having helped build this country’s economy and powering its future,” Boren said. “When did this Administration completely divorce itself of the direct correlation between the 'industry' itself and the millions of American jobs that it provides? These are small businesses. These are sorely-needed, well-paying American jobs.”
Some of Salazar's policy reforms would circumvent law approved by Congress, the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which passed the U.S. Senate with the support of both Salazar and President Obama when they were Senators. Boren’s letter highlighted his concerns that the measures run absolutely contrary to the Administration’s stated energy policy goals of job creation and energy independence. An additional cause of concern for Boren is that the new rules would lead to accelerated job loss in an industry that impacts millions of jobs nationwide at a time when unemployment is at record levels.
posted by Mike McCarville @ 12:48 PM
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