mr. chairman , i yield myself such time as i may consume . 
mr. chairman , my amendment would strike section 2005 of h.r. 6 . 
this section of the bill requires the secretary of the interior to suspend collection of royalty fees from oil and gas companies operating in the deep waters of the gulf of mexico . 
the authors say this provision is needed to `` encourage '' oil and gas companies to explore for and produce oil and gas at water depths greater than 400 feet in the gulf of mexico . 
let there be no misunderstanding . 
this royalty relief is a subsidy to oil and gas companies . 
it is unnecessary and is nothing more than corporate welfare for the oil and gas industry . 
subsidies will not increase production of domestic oil and gas . 
the energy information administration and interior secretary norton have both asserted that subsidies would do little to enhance domestic production of oil and gas . 
even the president , a former oilman , recognizes that royalty relief is not a good idea . 
just yesterday he said , `` with oil at more than $ 50 a barrel , by the way , energy companies do not need taxpayer funded incentives to explore for oil and gas. '' mr. chairman , the deep waters of the gulf of mexico have seen consistent and striking growth in oil and gas exploration for 10 straight years . 
deepwater projects have increased by 51 percent since 2002 . 
clearly no one needs an incentive to explore for oil and gas in one of the most vital areas in the world . 
therefore , there was no rational justification for this section . 
it is just more special treatment for oil and gas at the expense of everybody else . 
mr. chairman , i reserve the balance of my time . 
