It's not enough to talk a good game. The administration's call for increased domestic oil and natural gas production isn't being matched in terms of granting access to the reserves that would yield the energy America needs now and in the future.

Since the government resumed issuing deepwater drilling permits in March, just 15 have been granted and just one in the past month - and some of those are previously granted permits that were suspended when the administration put a moratorium on drilling after last year's Macondo accident.

America needs a permitting pace that reflects its energy needs but is getting a snail's pace instead. API Upstream Director Erik Milito:

"The Interior Department is not doing enough to prepare our nation for a secure energy future, and its policies are harming ou... more »

In the two months since the Deepwater Horizon accident, numerous investigations have been launched, several congressional hearings have been held, and many statements have been made about oil and natural gas industry regulation. Unfortunately, many statements about industry regulations have had little or no basis in fact.

Today, API's Erik Milito set the record straight.

In written testimony for the House Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources, Erik explained some basic facts about the offshore oil and natural gas industry and its relationship with the federal government:

• The industry is heavily regulated. There are 27 statutory authorities, 88 Code of Federal Regulations provisions, and 24 approvals and permits that apply to offshore operations. (Click here to see a simple illustra... more »