AEA’s Thomas Pyle responds to Obama press conference

“Instead of unleashing lawyers at the Justice Department, the president should unleash the Interior Department to open the outer continental shelf.” — AEA President Thomas J. Pyle

WASHINGTON D.C. — Thomas J. Pyle, president of the American Energy Alliance, issued today the following statement in response to President Obama’s Mar. 6 press conference:

“President Obama continues to offer inadequate solutions and deceptive talking points instead of policies that will promote affordable energy for American consumers. When asked about rising gas prices, the President promised to promote drilling in Sudan, relieve pipeline bottlenecks that the federal government has no control over, and sick Attorney General Eric Holder on free markets with yet another ‘task force.’

“Why the president believes that gas prices are more closely tied to increased drilling in Sudan than exploration in North America is inconceivable. Currently, only 3 percent of U.S. federal lands are being utilized for exploration. Moreover, given his statements during the press conference, President Obama apparently wants the U.S. to rely more on Sudan than on our closest trade partner, Canada, for oil supplies. Otherwise he would have approved the Keystone XL pipeline.

“Already, the United States is the world’s third largest oil producer, and with the vast resources we have under our feet, there is no reason why we can’t be the first. In the process, we could create hundreds of thousands of good-paying jobs that would grow our economy and increase our energy security.

“Americans are paying historic prices for gasoline, and the president offers another task force headed by Attorney General Eric Holder. Instead of unleashing lawyers at the Justice Department , he should unleash the Interior Department to open the Outer Continental Shelf, ANWR, and millions of acres of federal lands to energy development.

“The American people deserve either new energy policies or new leadership, and perhaps both.”

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