Karen Harbert, president and CEO of the Institute for 21st Century Energy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, made the following statement regarding the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling’s findings released today:
“In the wake of the Deepwater Horizon tragedy, the oil and gas industry, regulators, and several outside panels, including the President’s oil spill commission, have rightly examined offshore oil and gas operations to ensure that they are as safe as possible. Many steps have already been taken to improve safety, and government regulators have inspected each and every offshore rig. The oil and gas industry has invested billions of dollars to upgrade every aspect of its operations, and four task forces have been hard at work producing tangible improvements to both prevent and respond better to future spills.
“We can no longer ignore the vital contribution America’s oil and gas industry makes to our energy and economic security. Most of the rigs in the Gulf of Mexico are idle and others have simply moved out of the Gulf to other countries. America is alarmingly becoming more and more reliant on foreign oil, which poses a grave threat to our national, economic, and energy security. In 2010, the U.S. spent $72 billion more than in 2009 on imported oil alone. This trend cannot continue, but if the Administration does not end the de facto moratorium on oil and gas exploration, it will. Thousands of jobs in the Gulf region and in Alaska have already been lost and many thousands more are in jeopardy, and the region’s—and our nation’s-- economy will pay the price.
“The industry has already demonstrated its willingness and ability to go to extraordinary lengths to assure regulators and the American public of its ability to operate responsibly. It is now time for our government to let these companies get back to work and supply our nation with needed energy, jobs and revenue. There is no valid reason to continue the delay."