Interior Secretary Salazar talks on offshore drilling, gas prices at April 24 luncheon

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, who oversees all U.S. offshore oil and gas drilling, will speak to a National Press Club luncheon on Tuesday, April 24. Salazar will discuss gas prices, offshore drilling and other energy-related issues.

With gasoline prices approaching $4 a gallon in much of the country, the Obama administration and Salazar in particular are under pressure to boost U.S. oil production. The Interior Department this week said it plans to allow companies to do seismic mapping surveys off the Atlantic coast to determine what oil and gas exists in that area. Environmentalists, citing the massive 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill, oppose drilling in the Atlantic.

In addition to offshore oil drilling, Salazar’s Interior Department oversees mining and grazing rights in the U.S.’s parks and forests, the allocation of water resources and the protection of wildlife.

Lunch will be served at 12:30 p.m., with remarks beginning at 1 p.m., followed by a question-and-answer session ending at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $19 for Press Club members, $30 for guests of members, and $37 for general admission. To reserve tickets, please e-mail [email protected] or call 202-662-7501. Tickets must be paid for at time of reservation.

To submit a question in advance, put SALAZAR in the subject line and email the questions to [email protected] before 10 a.m. on the day of the luncheon.

Upcoming Luncheons:

April 4: Deepak Chopra, Founder of the Chopra Foundation and the Chopra Center

April 5: Douglas Shulman, Commission, the Internal Revenue Service

April 11: Michael Wiener, Executive Director, Major League Baseball Players Association

April 16: Alec Baldwin, Actor

April 17: Gary Gensler, Chairman, Commodity Futures Trading Commission

May 9: Billie Jean King, Tennis Legend