WASHINGTON -- The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) praised President Bush for urging Congress to lift the ban on offshore drilling on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS).
"America is facing a significant energy shortage and crisis," said Jay Timmons, NAM Executive Vice President. "We urge the executive and legislative branches, Republicans and Democrats alike, to step forward in a positive, bi-partisan way to help ease the problem. The President's message today is right on target, and Congress should act immediately on his proposals."
Timmons added that seniors and individuals on fixed incomes are finding it difficult to pay home heating and cooling bills, families are adjusting their budgets to pay for gas, and manufacturers face difficult choices in order to remain in business.
"Tapping our own abundant resources in the United States is the only legitimate long term strategy to dealing with the crisis. The OCS contains more than 420 trillion cubic feet of natural gas -- enough to heat approximately 100 million American homes for 60 years. The OCS also contains approximately 86 billion barrels of oil, enough to displace a significant percentage of U.S. imports and improve the U.S. balance of trade," Timmons concluded.
