Fleming Supports Subpoenas On Obama’s Drilling Moratorium

Congressman John Fleming, M.D. (LA-4) joined his colleagues today on the House Natural Resources Committee calling for the issuance of subpoenas in the investigation of the Obama Administration’s Gulf of Mexico drilling moratorium:

“The Obama Administration’s Department of the Interior (DOI) has been stonewalling Congress on this matter for nearly a year.  In 2010 the department falsely claimed that a panel of engineers gave its stamp of approval to a drilling moratorium that cost jobs, devastated the Gulf economy, and created a lasting impact on our nation’s energy supply.  Days later, those engineers revealed that the department inserted the moratoriumrecommendation after they had completed their review.  The engineers said they 'never agreed' to it and, in fact, said the moratorium would be an act of 'punishing the innocent.'

“Since April 2011 our committee has been trying to investigate the White House editing of this federal report which led to the shutting down of oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. Our document requests have gone largely unanswered, while the executive branch has played bureaucraticgames to avoid its responsibility. The department even blocked its own Inspector General from turning over necessary documents.

“The DOI’s lack of transparency has been stunning and obstructionary. Jobs were lost and our domestic energy supply cut. That’s why there must be subpoenas.  It's time the administration answer to the people on this matter."

News release supplied by Congressman John Fleming's office