FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 20, 2008

Contact: Kristina Johnson, Sierra Club
415.977.5619

        Off-Shore Lease Sale Underscores Arguments Against Drilling

In a lease sale today for drilling rights to 1.8 million acres off the
western Gulf of Mexico, ninety percent of tracts made available by the
federal government went without bids. The high bidder in the lease sale was
a Norwegian company, Statoil.

           Statement of Sierra Club Executive Director Carl Pope

"Big Oil keeps telling us they need access to more of our coasts. Today
they were given access to millions of acres of new drilling, but they
failed to even bid on 90 percent of the area made available to them.  And
of the areas bid, we can expect it to take around a decade for any oil to
come to market.

"The high bidder in today's lease sale was a Norwegian company. This is a
stark reminder that there's no guarantee that the oil from today's sale
will directly benefit Americans. If we allow Big Oil to have its way,
foreign oil companies may take possession of more of America's special
places."

"The oil industry already has access to millions of acres of America's land
and coasts, but that's not enough for them. They say they need our last
protected places—pristine shorelines on the East and West coast and the
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge--yet when given the opportunity today, 90
percent of the area available to them received no bids."

"Handing over more of our country to Big Oil won't do anything to lower gas
prices, 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 only
benefit them, we should be focusing on real solutions that will benefit all
Americans. We need short-term tax credits to offset the cost of gas, and we
need to invest in clean energy solutions like wind and solar power and
technology 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 in
the Washington Times and a press release to attack the Sierra Club's energy
policy as "anti-American."  This statement follows weeks of hysterics from
Boehner and other members of his caucus over energy issues. House
Republican Leadership claims that they support a comprehensive, "all of the
above" energy approach, but immediately attacked just such a compromise the
minute it was offered.

Over the weekend Sierra Club stated that Speaker Pelosi's new compromise
energy legislation 'will force drilling supporters to admit whether they
really want to move America forward or simply want to continue helping the
oil companies.'  Boehner's hysterical response to Pelosi's plan tells us
exactly where he stands before any votes have even been cast.  We now have
proof positive that Boehner has chosen Big Oil over hard working Americans.

Despite months of complaining and political stunts, Boehner and his allies
are now refusing to fast-track comprehensive energy legislation.  Taking a
cue from arch-conservatives Rush Limbaugh and Newt Gingrich, they oppose a
compromise plan that will support renewable energy, give consumers real
relief 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 'all
of the above.'

They held the Congress hostage and blocked measure after measure while gas
prices soared.  Now they want to stop yet another comprehensive energy bill
that would deal with our energy crisis because they think it will help them
win an election.  Their bluff has been called and now all they have to rely
is overheated and inaccurate rhetoric to defend their indefensible blockade
against real energy solutions.  They'll do—or say—anything to protect Big
Oil and the billions in government giveaways it continues to receive while
we pay record prices at the pump.

Boehner is complaining that renewable energy, common sense policies that
will bring immediate relief at the pump, and taking away billions in
government giveaways from Big Oil are 'poison pills.'  Boehner and other
'none of the above' supporters will find out soon enough that opposing
clean energy and being in the pocket of Big Oil is what's really poisonous.

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