FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                 CONTACT: ROBERT DILLON (202) 224-6977

MARCH 12, 2009                                          or ANNE JOHNSON (202) 224-7875                                   

 

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today released the following statement on the apparent bias at the Department of Interior against conventional oil and natural gas production.  

 

Speaking at the nomination hearing of David Hayes to be DOI’s Deputy Secretary, Murkowski said the Obama Administration’s Budget Blueprint amounted to a “war on domestic production” and subsequent Administration testimony has done nothing to alter her opinion.

 

Murkowski said it’s important that DOI strike the right balance between promoting development of new renewable sources of energy and increasing domestic production of conventional fossil fuels. 

 

“We should take every reasonable measure to promote clean, alternative sources of energy. We can hope that these measures will bear fruit,” Murkowski said. “However, hope and wishes will not change the reality that the vast majority of Americans will run their cars on petroleum for the foreseeable future.”

 

“Punishing the domestic oil and gas industry will not bring on the ‘age of renewable energy’ any faster. It will increase our dependence on foreign oil, and further threaten our energy and economic security,” Murkowski said. “The President’s budget proposals would have this nation turn its back on workers in the petroleum industry, raise prices for American consumers, and increase the export of American dollars – all in one fell swoop. Particularly at this point in time, our nation can’t afford any one of these, much less all.”