In a letter sent to Interior Sec. Ryan Zinke today on the development of a new 2019-2024 offshore energy leasing program, 118 U.S. House Republicans and 1 U.S. House Democrat (Gene Green [TX]) urged the government to “fully consider all OCS lands, including those not part of the current [leasing] program, to ensure opportunities are not missed.”

Signatories cited energy, economic, and national security benefits of safe and environmentally responsible offshore development, noting that expanded leasing access can “solidify our energy superpower position into the future.”