‘What more do you need?’ Rep. Porter presses oil executives on leases on federal land
Rep. Katie Porter, D-Calif., squeezed oil and gas executives on leases for drilling on federal lands. Porter spoke at a meeting of the House Oversight and Reform Committee about whether the industry misled the public about its effect on climate change.
Video transcript
KATIE PORTER: Mr. Somers, do you recognize the following statement? Banning federal leasing and development on federal lands and waters would derail decades of US energy progress.
- I do, Congresswoman.
KATIE PORTER: That's your statement. How many of the Department of Interior's approved and ready-to-drill permits are currently unused?
- Congresswoman, it takes a long time to develop these leases that--
KATIE PORTER: I appreciate, Mr. Somers. I'm just asking how many permits are unused?
- Congresswoman, I think there's a fundamental misunderstanding as to how these--
KATIE PORTER: Reclaiming my time. Mr. Somers, there are 7,700 permits unused. How many acres of public land are already leased by fossil-fuel companies and not even used yet, just available or drilling whenever you decide?
- Congresswoman, again, I think you have a fundamental misunderstanding as to how this process works and the time and [INAUDIBLE].
KATIE PORTER: Reclaiming my time. Reclaiming my time. The answer is 13.9 million acres. To visualize how much land that is, if each grain of rice were one acre, that would be 479 pounds of rice. The American Petroleum Institute even opposed pausing more leasing on our lands. They even sued to stop it because apparently this acreage wasn't enough.
Mr. Wirth, you serve on the American Petroleum Institute executive committee. Do you support a pause on new oil and gas leases on federal land?
- Congresswoman access to resource in this country is essential to ensure the energy security of our country and--
KATIE PORTER: Reclaiming my time. Mr. Lawler, do you support a pause--
- The administration--
KATIE PORTER: --on new oil and gas leases.
- --and it's our-- it's our hope that the pause ends soon. We think it's important to go forward.
KATIE PORTER: Reclaiming my time. Thank you for your answer. The answer there is no. Mr. Woods, do you support a pause on new [? federal ?] and gas leases?
- No
KATIE PORTER: Ms. Watkins, do you support a pause on new federal and gas leases?
- No, I do not because I think it's important.
KATIE PORTER: You already have 13.9 million acres. This is equivalent to Maryland and New Jersey combined. How much more do you need? How much more acreage? You have two of our 50 states at a price that makes the Louisiana Purchase look like a rip off, and you're not even using it. What more do you need? Iowa, Colorado, Virginia? Our public land belongs to the American people, not to big oil. When you lobby and you sue so that you could take more of our public land, you're saying too much is never enough. The American people are tired of this charade. I yield back.
