The ban on offshore drilling was quietly lifted today, and House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) wasted no time in blasting Democrats for planning to reinstate it in the next Congress.

“I’m very troubled by House Democratic leaders’ recent assertion that restoring the bans ‘will be a top priority for discussion next year,’” Boehner said.

Drawing attention back to the energy debate that dominated Congress over the summer, Boehner criticized Democrats for deciding “to leave town for the rest of October” instead of taking up a GOP energy bill that seeks offshore and Arctic drilling as a path to lower gas prices.