U.S. Chamber Expresses Disappointment in Administration’s Proposed OCS Leasing Program

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Karen Harbert, president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for 21st Century Energy today made the following statement expressing disappointment in the administration’s proposed five-year Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Leasing Program:

“Today the administration’s proposed leasing plan rejected the opportunity to create hundreds of thousands of new jobs in this country by taking yet another step to constrain options for increased domestic energy production. Oil and natural gas production on federal lands continues to decline under this administration, and the new Offshore Oil & Gas Program does not provide much hope that this destructive trend will be reversed anytime soon.

“We are disappointed that the administration is once again forgoing an opportunity to make our energy future more secure and our economy more competitive. We will continue to call on the president to revise this nearsighted approach and include areas in the mid-Atlantic and eastern Gulf of Mexico that were included in previous versions of the Offshore Oil & Gas Program, as well as preserve the opportunity of greater exploration in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas off of Alaska.”

The mission of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Institute for 21st Century Energy is to unify policymakers, regulators, business leaders, and the American public behind a common sense energy strategy to help keep America secure, prosperous, and clean. Through policy development, education, and advocacy, the Institute is building support for meaningful action at the local, state, national, and international levels.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world’s largest business federation representing the interests of more than 3 million businesses of all sizes, sectors, and regions, as well as state and local chambers and industry associations.