Valley House members back drilling proposal

By David Skolnick

Use the leases or lose them, the lawmakers say.

YOUNGSTOWN — The Mahoning Valley’s representatives in the U.S. House support a proposal requiring oil companies to drill on 68 million acres of land they lease from the federal government.

“Big oil is sitting on millions of acres that have been untapped,” said Charlie Wilson of St. Clairsville, D-6th. “I say if they’re not going to drill on that land, the U.S. government should lease the land to some company that will.”

Wilson, who represents all of Columbiana County and a portion of Mahoning County, and U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Niles, D-17th, who represents portions of Mahoning and Trumbull, announced their support for the bill during a Wednesday teleconference.

Six Democratic members of the House introduced the legislation last Thursday.

Wilson and Ryan said oil companies are producing on about 20 percent of the offshore acres they lease and on about 30 percent of the leased onshore acres.

“These companies should either use the leases or lose the leases,” Ryan said.

The companies could produce about 4.8 million barrels of oil a day, nearly double the current U.S. oil production, Ryan and Wilson said.

A top Republican senator says the bill wouldn’t increase domestic production because oil companies leasing federal land already have time limits for drilling, according to Congressional Quarterly.

While Ryan and Wilson called for a “use it or lose it” policy, President Bush said Wednesday that Congress should allow the drilling of oil on offshore waters near Florida and California as well as in an Alaska wildlife refuge.

Ryan said the oil companies need to first use the drillable land they lease from the federal government before anything else is considered.

skolnick@vindy.com