Bill Text: OH HR305 | 2011-2012 | 129th General Assembly | Enrolled

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Bill Title: To urge the Administration of President Barack Obama

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 43-0)

Status: (Passed) 2012-05-24 - Adopted [HR305 Detail]

Download: Ohio-2011-HR305-Enrolled.html

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As Adopted by the House

129th General Assembly Regular Session 2011-2012

H. R. No. 305

Representatives Dovilla, Adams, J. 

Cosponsors: Representatives Terhar, Hall, Ruhl, Rosenberger, Derickson, Huffman, Adams, R., Hackett, Newbold, Hill, Grossman, Baker, Thompson, Boose, Buchy, Damschroder, Hagan, C., Scherer, Anielski, Beck, Blair, Brenner, Combs, Conditt, Duffey, Gardner, Goodwin, Hayes, Henne, Hottinger, Johnson, Kozlowski, Lynch, Maag, Martin, Sears, Sprague, Stautberg, Uecker, Young Speaker Batchelder 

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A RESOLUTION

To urge the Administration of President Barack Obama

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to allow oil and natural gas production off the

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northern coast of Alaska, to grant permits for oil

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and natural gas exploration in the Gulf of Mexico

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on a timely basis, and to grant a presidential

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permit to allow the construction of the Keystone

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XL pipeline project.

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BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF OHIO:

WHEREAS, Gasoline and diesel prices in Ohio were at an	8
all-time record average high in 2011, are moving even higher in	9
2012, and are having major detrimental impacts on the families,	10
farms, and businesses of Ohio; and	11

WHEREAS, According to CNNMoney, households in the United	12
States are now spending an average of 9% of all household income	13
on gasoline purchases, leaving them with significantly reduced	14
purchasing power; and	15

WHEREAS, Slight interruptions in oil supply can cause prices	16
to fluctuate wildly; and	17

WHEREAS, Fluctuations in gasoline and diesel prices have	18
historically corresponded with the price of crude oil, and several	19
leading economists have recently projected that high oil,	20
gasoline, and diesel prices are likely to completely stall the	21
economic recovery in the United States; and	22

WHEREAS, The Energy Information Administration of the United	23
States Department of Energy reports that consumption of crude oil	24
liquid fuels is currently at a record high of 86.7 million barrels	25
per day worldwide and 19.1 million barrels per day in the United	26
States; and	27

WHEREAS, The United States imports half of all the oil it	28
consumes, much of it from unstable and unfriendly OPEC member	29
countries, and in 2011 alone, imported over 4.15 billion barrels	30
of oil at a cost in excess of $393 billion; and	31

WHEREAS, Compared to 2010 and based on reduced production	32
from the Gulf of Mexico due to declines in existing fields and the	33
impact of President Obama's drilling moratorium and the subsequent	34
delay in issuing new drilling permits, the United States produced	35
130,000 fewer barrels of crude oil per day in 2011, and is	36
projected to produce another 190,000 fewer barrels of crude oil	37
per day in 2012 on federally leased land; and	38

WHEREAS, Expanded offshore oil and natural gas development in	39
the Gulf of Mexico, in Alaska, and off America's coastlines will	40
generate thousands of new, high-paying jobs throughout the 50	41
states that range from steel and pipe manufacturing jobs in Ohio	42
and the other states of the Midwest, to shipping jobs on the	43
coasts, to advanced computer technology positions in California	44
and Seattle, and to union jobs in pipeline construction and	45
maintenance; and	46

WHEREAS, Although the United States Department of the	47
Interior projects that the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas in Alaska	48
contain at least 22 billion barrels of recoverable crude oil and	49
energy producers have successfully bid on 665 leases in this area	50
during lease sales held by the Department in 2003, 2005, 2007, and	51
2008 that total over $4 billion, these producers have not yet	52
secured permits from President Obama's Administration or been able	53
to drill even one exploratory well within these lease blocks; and	54

WHEREAS, TransCanada PipeLines Limited filed an application	55
for a presidential permit with the United States Department of	56
State to develop a $13 billion pipeline project, known as the	57
Keystone XL Project, that will carry 700,000 barrels of oil per	58
day from South Dakota, Oklahoma, and Texas to refineries in the	59
Gulf Coast region; and	60

WHEREAS, The United States Department of State conducted an	61
even more thorough analysis of the TransCanada Keystone XL	62
pipeline permit application than required under the National	63
Environmental Policy Act process and concluded that the pipeline	64
would be state of the art with a superior degree of safety; and	65

WHEREAS, On January 18, 2012, President Obama rejected	66
TransCanada's application for a presidential permit to build the	67
Keystone XL pipeline; and	68

WHEREAS, The Keystone XL pipeline is projected to create	69
20,000 construction and manufacturing jobs in the United States,	70
and add more than $20 billion to the United States economy; now	71
therefore be it	72

RESOLVED, That we, the members of the House of	73
Representatives of the 129th General Assembly of the State of	74
Ohio, respectfully urge the Administration of President Barack	75
Obama to ensure that permitting in the Gulf of Mexico returns to	76
an efficient pace so that oil and natural gas production may	77
resume, and Gulf residents may return to work and American	78
consumers may be assured of a stable supply of affordable energy;	79
and be it further	80

RESOLVED, That we, the members of the House of	81
Representatives of the 129th General Assembly of the State of	82
Ohio, respectfully ask the Obama Administration to acknowledge the	83
strong and thorough preparedness producers have demonstrated in	84
their plans for Arctic development and to permit the exploration	85
and production of our vast oil and natural gas resources located	86
off of Alaska's northern coast; and be it further	87

RESOLVED, That we, the members of the House of	88
Representatives of the 129th General Assembly of the State of	89
Ohio, respectfully request the Obama Administration to	90
expeditiously grant a presidential permit to allow the	91
construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, and thus create American	92
jobs, spur investment in the economy, and reflect the will of the	93
American public; and be it further	94

RESOLVED, That the Clerk of the House of Representatives	95
transmit duly authenticated copies of this resolution to the	96
President of the United States, the Secretary of State of the	97
United States, the Speaker and Clerk of the United States House of	98
Representatives, the President Pro Tempore and Secretary of the	99
United States Senate, the members of the Ohio Congressional	100
delegation, and the news media of Ohio.	101