Washington, DC – Today, Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, issued the below statement following Oil and Gas Lease Sale 261.

“The United States is more energy secure today than ever before because of the Inflation Reduction Act and its mandate to utilize all of our country’s abundant resources, including through Lease Sale 261. The IRA is an all-of-the-above energy security bill that bolsters our current energy production and makes historic investments in innovative, clean energy technologies. Last year, the IRA mandated that federal oil and gas leasing continue, and as a result, we’ve received more high bids for new offshore leases in 2023 than any year since 2014, generating more than $600 million in revenues to help reduce our debt.  Lease Sale 261 has been a long time coming, and the fact that it is happening today despite the Administration’s attempts to cancel, shrink, and delay this sale is a testament to the importance of the IRA for our energy security and further proof that there has never been a better time to invest in American energy production,” said Chairman Manchin.