DeGette Applauds Salazar Plan

WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO), Vice Chair of theCommittee on Energy and Commerce, today offered the following statementafter Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced details of a newcomprehensive energy plan for the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS),including repealing the Bush Administration's midnight timetable forits five-year offshore drilling plan:

"President Obama and Secretary Salazar are taking the right approach todeveloping the appropriate balance between responsible energydevelopment and environmental stewardship," said DeGette. "Americansrecognize that a rush to drill – whether in the Colorado mountains oroff our nation's coastlines – is not the solution to our energyproblems. We clearly need to continue developing oil and gas while wetransition to cleaner, renewable fuels, but we must make sure we'redoing it in a safe and environmentally sensitive manner."

U.S. Rep. DeGette is also a member of the House Committee on NaturalResources, which is holding three hearings over the next two weeks toexamine the future of oil and gas development along the OuterContinental Shelf.