WASHINGTON, D.C.
– U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, commented on the Interior Department’s
issuance yesterday of the first deepwater oil drilling permit since the Gulf of
Mexico oil spill:
“Yesterday’s
announcement is the first step to putting us back into the race for greater
energy security and economic recovery,” Murkowski said. “While this approval
for a bypass well isn’t the new exploration we need to see, this does put the administration
closer to compliance with the law as directed by Congress and the courts.”
Interior
Secretary Ken Salazar is scheduled to appear before the Senate Energy and
Natural Resources Committee on Wednesday to review the agency’s 2012 budget
proposal. DOI is seeking a 50 percent increase in its budget for its Bureau of
Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) compared to fiscal
year 2010 levels.
Murkowski,
the ranking Republican on both the Senate Energy and Natural Resources
Committee and the Interior and Environment Appropriations Subcommittee, said
she remains concerned with the slow pace of permitting for deepwater wells.
“The
deepwater moratoria was lifted back in October and yet it’s taken nearly five
months to approve the first well permit. DOI now has about two weeks to issue
four more permits if it’s to comply with the court’s order,” Murkowski said. “DOI
clearly needs to step up its game in order to approve projects in a timely and
responsible manner.”
###