The congressional representative for much of the region is among a group of Republicans pushing for new energy initiatives.

Rep. Bill Flores joined Brazos Valley This Morning Thursday to discuss being a part of the House Energy Action Team, or HEAT, which was unveiled Wednesday in Washington.

HEAT will "promote Republican energy policies that will address rising energy prices, create thousands of good jobs and enhance our national security by promoting energy independence for America," according to a statement from the coalition.

"We are impeding the ability to produce our own domestic energy," Flores said. "It's more than not doing enough. It's that we're doing all the wrong things."

Flores says HEAT will "encourage domestic drilling, build an all-of-the-above energy approach, and then begin to stop doing the things we're doing that are hurting us domestically."

Flores cited a situation in West Texas where the Dunes Sagebrush Lizard could potentially be listed as an endangered species, which would stop drilling in the area for a period of time.

Click Here for an Associated Press article on the issue

"They really haven't done any studies to know if the population is actually endangered or not," said Flores, a retired energy executive.

The congressman also discussed the death of Osama bin Laden and the debate over whether a picture of the terror leader's dead body should be released. Flores said he didn't think it should come out.

Wednesday, President Barack Obama told CBS News' 60 Minutes that he had decided against releasing a photo. That interview will air Sunday night on News 3.

Flores also said although he had not seen any photographs like some members of Congress have, he has "no doubt" in his mind that bin Laden is dead.

To see the complete interview with the congressman from BVTM, watch the video attached to this story.