On the heels of the highest increase in gasoline prices since 2008, the Shallow Water Energy Security Coalition today released a survey outlining the economic impact of shallow water drilling outside of the Gulf States of Texas and Louisiana.**

According to the survey, 2008-2010 shallow water drilling expenditures for vendors and subcontractors totaled over $1.3 billion in the non-gulf states of Illinois, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, New York, California, Oklahoma and Alabama. An additional $500 million was spent in other non-gulf states.

“Americans continue to feel the pain at the pump as gas prices surge at an alarming rate,” said Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings. “All the while, President Obama continues his efforts to block or delay American-made energy. Whether the de facto moratorium on shallow and deep water drilling or his efforts to unilaterally lock up millions of additional acres of federal lands, the President is hindering much needed energy production and stifling job creation and economic growth at time when Americans desperately need relief. This survey should serve as a reminder to Americans that the moratorium affects the entire country, not just the Gulf Coast.”

Map of Shallow Water Drilling Vendor Spending (2008 – 2010)

** To illustrate the nationwide economic impact of shallow water drilling, expenditures in Texas and Louisiana were not included in the survey.

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