Congressmen Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) and John Fleming, M.D. (R-LA) proposed the Fiduciary Responsibility and Fairness Act of 2013. This bill ensures the federal government fulfills its fiduciary responsibility of providing services and activities during a government shutdown that have funding derived from user fee revenue. This includes, but is not limited to, oil and gas permitting on new lease sales within the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM).
“President Obama has caused a nearly five-year-and-counting government slowdown in granting permission for oil and gas development. This is hurting Louisiana families and businesses. Now, he is using the shutdown to stop permitting in the Gulf of Mexico.
“The oil and gas industry generates more than 25 times what it costs the federal government to do permitting. President Obama should allow new oil and gas permitting and stop hurting Louisiana families.”
Additionally, the press office of the Louisiana Oil and Gas Association provided the following statement:
“Offshore oil and gas lease sales are crucial to the oil and gas industry’s success. Thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in economic impact depend on the production from the Gulf of Mexico. While the federal government attempts to solve their differences, one of the largest job-producing industries in the United States should not be slowed down.”
The Fiduciary Responsibility and Fairness Act of 2013 takes away the President’s excuses by amending the Antideficiency Act [31 U.S.C. §1341(a)] to ensure all federal programs and activities will continue during a federal government shutdown that have funding derived from user fee revenue where funds are available.
[mappress]
Press Release, October 15, 2013