Comment from Donald Thomas, Morgan City Rentals

Mr. Steven Textoris 5-Year Program Manager, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Room 3120 381 Elden Street Herndon, VA 20170 RE: Comments on Proposed 5-Year Program for 2012-2017 Dear Mr. Textoris: I urge the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) to approve a 5-Year Program for Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Leasing for 2012-2017 with the maximum access possible for additional oil and natural gas exploration and development. A new 5-year leasing program is the most significant decision the agency will make regarding new access to American offshore resources. An increase in the responsible development of offshore oil and gas resources spurs enormous positive economic and energy-related impacts, not only within the industry and throughout the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska, but across a wide swath of industries stretching from coast to coast. Our economy depends on the massive economic benefits of increased spending and new jobs that offshore energy production generates. These benefits are widespread and seen all across the Nation, as shown by the 2011 study from Quest Offshore, “United States Gulf of Mexico Oil and Natural Gas Industry Economic Impact Analysis.” The study found that if the pace of oil and natural gas permitting in the Gulf of Mexico returns to and surpasses historic levels, the benefits nationwide could include: 190,000 jobs created by 2013, for a total of nearly 430,000; a 140% increase in capital expenditures by 2013 to $15.7 billion; and a 70% increase in spending by the offshore energy industry by 2013 to $25.7 billion of investment, with total contributions to the nation’s GDP being nearly $45 billion. Unfortunately, these figures are moving in the opposite direction, according to a recent follow-on study by Quest that shows capital and operating expenditures in the gulf actually plunged by $18.3 billion in 2010 and 2011. The study notes that 11 deepwater rigs have left the gulf since April