FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEAugust 20, 2008 Contact: Kristina Johnson, Sierra Club415.977.5619 Off-Shore Lease Sale Underscores Arguments Against Drilling In a lease sale today for drilling rights to 1.8 million acres off thewestern Gulf of Mexico, ninety percent of tracts made available by thefederal government went without bids. The high bidder in the lease sale wasa Norwegian company, Statoil. Statement of Sierra Club Executive Director Carl Pope "Big Oil keeps telling us they need access to more of our coasts. Todaythey were given access to millions of acres of new drilling, but theyfailed to even bid on 90 percent of the area made available to them. Andof the areas bid, we can expect it to take around a decade for any oil tocome to market. "The high bidder in today's lease sale was a Norwegian company. This is astark reminder that there's no guarantee that the oil from today's salewill directly benefit Americans. If we allow Big Oil to have its way,foreign oil companies may take possession of more of America's specialplaces." "The oil industry already has access to millions of acres of America's landand coasts, but that's not enough for them. They say they need our lastprotected places—pristine shorelines on the East and West coast and theArctic National Wildlife Refuge--yet when given the opportunity today, 90percent of the area available to them received no bids." "Handing over more of our country to Big Oil won't do anything to lower gasprices, it will just help the richest industry in the world get richer." "Instead of allowing Big Oil to set our energy policy in ways that onlybenefit them, we should be focusing on real solutions that will benefit allAmericans. We need short-term tax credits to offset the cost of gas, and weneed to invest in clean energy solutions like wind and solar power andtechnology that makes a car go farther on a gallon of gas." For more information visit www.sierraclub.org/bigoil Background: Yesterday Rep. John Boehner, the House GOP leader, used an opinion piece inthe Washington Times and a press release to attack the Sierra Club's energypolicy as "anti-American." This statement follows weeks of hysterics fromBoehner and other members of his caucus over energy issues. HouseRepublican Leadership claims that they support a comprehensive, "all of theabove" energy approach, but immediately attacked just such a compromise theminute it was offered. Over the weekend Sierra Club stated that Speaker Pelosi's new compromiseenergy legislation 'will force drilling supporters to admit whether theyreally want to move America forward or simply want to continue helping theoil companies.' Boehner's hysterical response to Pelosi's plan tells usexactly where he stands before any votes have even been cast. We now haveproof positive that Boehner has chosen Big Oil over hard working Americans. Despite months of complaining and political stunts, Boehner and his alliesare now refusing to fast-track comprehensive energy legislation. Taking acue from arch-conservatives Rush Limbaugh and Newt Gingrich, they oppose acompromise plan that will support renewable energy, give consumers realrelief at the pump, put America on the true path to energy independence,and take back billions in government giveaways to Big Oil. So much for 'allof the above.' They held the Congress hostage and blocked measure after measure while gasprices soared. Now they want to stop yet another comprehensive energy billthat would deal with our energy crisis because they think it will help themwin an election. Their bluff has been called and now all they have to relyis overheated and inaccurate rhetoric to defend their indefensible blockadeagainst real energy solutions. They'll do—or say—anything to protect BigOil and the billions in government giveaways it continues to receive whilewe pay record prices at the pump. Boehner is complaining that renewable energy, common sense policies thatwill bring immediate relief at the pump, and taking away billions ingovernment giveaways from Big Oil are 'poison pills.' Boehner and other'none of the above' supporters will find out soon enough that opposingclean energy and being in the pocket of Big Oil is what's really poisonous. # # # - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to: [log in to unmask] Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp To view the Sierra Club List Terms & Conditions, see: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/terms.asp