Apparently, an offshore oil find that would more than double America’s current proven oil reserves still wouldn’t be enough for the Obama Administration to stop playing politics with America’s energy security. Channeling his best auctioneer chant, Rep. Louie Gohmert (TX-01) gave Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Director Tommy Beaudreau a chance to say how much oil would need to be found in the Southern Pacific Ocean for the Obama Administration to allow offshore drilling. 7 billion barrels? 10 billion barrels? 20 or 50 billion barrels? American jobs and energy security going once, going twice, SOLD TO OPEC!—courtesy of the Obama Administration. If this Administration isn’t serious about producing more offshore energy in the hypothetical world, how can they be taken seriously in the real world?

Director Beaudreau tried to explain that available resources are just one of the factors that the Administration takes into consideration and highlighted the importance of input from affected states. Apparently the Obama Administration only listens to states like California that agree with their no new drilling agenda, not states like Virginia, which has repeatedly asked for an offshore lease sale only to have this Administration delay, block and cancel the already planned Virginia lease sale.

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The California Energy Commission reported earlier this year that the State is now 50% dependent on foreign oil as California domestic production and Alaskan imports are declining. Currently, there is estimated over 5 billion barrels of oil in the Southern Pacific Ocean planning area that could create thousands of new jobs, help lower gasoline prices and add millions of dollars to State and Federal Treasuries. House Republicans passed a bipartisan plan to open this area and other areas in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans where we know America has the most oil and natural gas resources.

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