David Vitter Reaction To State Of The Union

 U.S. Sen. David Vitter released the following statement in reaction to President Obama’s State of the Union address.

            “I was very happy to see the president talk a fair amount about American energy as well as how it can grow American manufacturing. The question is if he’ll be serious about that and follow up with action.  Here's my simple 3-point test: 

“First, increase Gulf and other offshore production dramatically so we don’t see more rigs leave the Gulf, as 11 have already done since 2010. Get permitting in the Gulf UP 40 percent from before the BP spill rather than DOWN 40 percent, as it is now.  Redo the 5-year offshore lease plan so that it's double the last, not half as much as it is now.

“Second, stop the EPA's unfounded, tabloid science attack on fracking. This is a process at the heart of the biggest U.S. natural gas and manufacturing opportunities of our lifetime.
            “And third, build the Keystone XL pipeline NOW.  This project is huge, especially for U.S. jobs and energy since it has needed on-ramps to get oil from the Dakotas and Oklahoma to Gulf Coast refineries.”