Scalise statement on Feldman court order

Washington, DC -- Congressman Steve Scalise today issued the following statement in response to U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman’s latest order finding the Department of Interior in civil contempt over its handling of the moratorium litigation.

“This serves as another reminder that the Obama Administration has acted in blatant defiance of a Court Order, and today’s ruling by Judge Feldman reinforces what we have said all along -- that the Administration acted improperly when they shut down offshore energy operations in the Gulf, costing us over 12,000 jobs and leaving America’s energy security hanging in the balance,” Scalise said. “In June, Judge Feldman clearly ruled that the drilling moratorium should never have been issued in the first place, yet President Obama’s Administration ignored that decision and continued to enforce the moratorium. The Administration must quickly jumpstart the permitting process to allow people to go back to work safely exploring for domestic energy so we can strengthen America’s energy security and protect the thousands of jobs in this industry.”

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Contact: Stephen Bell
202-226-9113