Congressman Rick Larsen's Online Office

Washington, D.C. — Today U.S. Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) voted to help get gas prices under control by making oil producers “use or lose” land they have already leased, and by increasing our domestic supply of oil from land already designated for energy production. The legislation (H.R. 6515) failed to pass the House today under a suspension of the rules which requires a two-thirds majority for passage.
 
“With the price of gas reaching record levels, families in my district aren’t getting pinched at the pump, they are getting punched,” said Larsen.

In Bellingham today, the average price of a regular gallon of gas was around $4.44, while in Everett the average price over the last two days was approximately $4.31.

“Today’s legislation is part of the comprehensive energy strategy we need to reduce prices at the pump and break our addiction to foreign oil,” Larsen continued. “It’s time for oil companies to “use it or lost it”. They need to start drilling now on the land they have already leased, or let someone else take over who will.”

Sixty-eight million acres of federal land have been leased by oil companies for energy production but remain unused – that’s 75% of all lands leased for production.  The legislation Larsen voted for today will require producers to drill on the leases they already have or give them up. 

In addition, the legislation would reinstate a ban on the foreign export of Alaskan oil and speed the development of the 20-million-acre National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPR-A) which is already designated for oil and gas production. NPR-A is eligible for more leasing right now, unlike the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) and protected coastal areas.  NPR-A has the potential to provide an estimated 10.6 billion barrels for our domestic oil supply.

This year, Congress has cracked down on energy market manipulation and price-gouging, helped Americans save money at the pump by making cars more fuel-efficient, and made critical investments in cleaner fuels. 

In addition to today’s bill, Congress has worked to get gas prices under control:

• Took action to investigate price gouging and ensure that retailers aren’t artificially inflating the cost of gas
• Directed the Federal Trade Commission to crack down on energy market manipulation that may be driving up prices by as much as $20 to $60 more per barrel
• Suspended oil shipments to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to increase the supply of oil available

Congress has taken action to reduce our dependence on foreign oil:

• Passed a landmark energy bill that invests in alternative fuels and makes cars and trucks more fuel-efficient, saving consumers $22 billion at the pump in one year alone
• Passed investments in renewable and alternative energy and reduced taxpayer subsidies for oil companies
• Passed a Farm Bill that makes a historic investment in biofuels made from crops other than grain