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» Offshore Drilling

Offshore Drilling

Offshore drilling is vital to securing America’s energy future and meeting growing demand. In fact, the U.S. Bureau of Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement estimates that undiscovered fields in the Outer Continental Shelf contain an estimated 86 billion barrels of oil and 420 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. Learn more about how offshore drilling provides America the energy it needs.

Perhaps more than anyone, as industry workers we know how vital offshore development is to America’s economic and energy future. Offshore exploration and development is the lifeblood of the Gulf economy—supporting thousands of industry jobs and countless businesses that rely on the oil and natural gas industry.

Since lifting the deepwater drilling moratorium established in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon incident, the government has been slow to approve new exploratory drilling plans in the Gulf of Mexico. While the few permits that have been approved are a step in the right direction, there are still more than 100 offshore drilling plans pending approval leading to a permitorium on access to domestic energy resources. With seven deepwater drilling rigs that have left or are planning to leave the Gulf to relocate to waters in South American and Africa, it is important that the government continues to efficiently approve drilling permits to allow access to the reliable and affordable energy resources on which our nation depends.

Safe offshore drilling operations and increased domestic access are not mutually exclusive. With continued efficient approvals, the industry and government can work together to ensure a sound economic and energy future.

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