STATEMENT

Contact: Tracy Cullen
(202) 974-5282
Email: tcullen@socplas.org

SPI STATEMENT ON HOUSE PASSAGE OF LANDMARK, BIPARTISAN NATURAL GAS LEGISLATION

SPI, U.S. Plastics Industry Commends Representatives for Recognizing Natural Gas Crisis and Acting to Lift Moratorium on Outer Continental Shelf Drilling

WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 30, 2006) – - On Thursday, June 29, 2006 the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 4761, the Deep Ocean Energy Resources (DOER) Act, in a bipartisan vote of 232–187. The bill is the combined result of approximately two dozen bills that address access to natural gas resources in the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). In particular, the DOER Act pulls together two different approaches on OCS drilling authored in separate bills sponsored by Representatives John Peterson (R-PA) and Neil Abercrombie (D-HI) and Representatives Bobby Jindal (R-LA) and Charlie Melancon (D-LA.).

William R. Carteaux, president and CEO of The Society of the Plastics Industry, Inc. (SPI), issued the following statement:

“This bill has been a long time in coming and is a major step forward for the survival of manufacturing in this country, not to mention a great thing for the average consumer. Access to affordable natural gas – both as an energy source and as a feedstock – is a key component to continued viability of the U.S. plastics industry. The only short-term solution to our country’s energy crisis is to open the Outer Continental Shelf to drilling – which could satisfy our commercial natural gas demands for three decades. This would buy enough time for U.S. energy companies to bring alternative fuel solutions to the marketplace. America must adopt a robust national energy policy that uses all of today’s sources in a more efficient and effective way. The DOER Act fits well with such a policy.

“On behalf of the SPI’s 1,100 member companies and the U.S. plastics industry, I want to congratulate the House of Representatives for the wisdom and leadership they exhibited in addressing America’s natural gas energy crisis with the passage of the DOER Act. In particular, I want to recognize the supreme efforts of House Resources Committee Chairman Pombo and the bill’s architects – Representatives Peterson, Abercrombie, Jindal and Melancon – for helping to open up natural gas resources that are key to reversing the supply and demand imbalance that has resulted in skyrocketing natural gas prices and the loss of more than 200,000 U.S. plastics industry jobs over the past six years.

“The DOER Act is a major victory for the plastics industry and was made possible in no uncertain terms by our industry’s unified front. SPI and its membership were successful in telling the plastics industry story by activating our grassroots network, calling on our industry allies, and leveraging our strengths through the Consumer Alliance for Energy Security.

“SPI and its members remain committed to working with Congressional leaders on this critical national issue and will need the support of the entire plastics industry to get a bill out of the Senate that makes offshore drilling a reality.”

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Founded in 1937, The Society of the Plastics Industry, Inc., is the trade association representing one of the largest manufacturing industries in the United States. SPI's members represent the entire plastics industry supply chain, including processors, machinery and equipment manufacturers and raw materials suppliers. The U.S. plastics industry employs 1.3 million workers and provides nearly $345 billion in annual shipments.

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