Posted on 09/23/2008 3:37:38 PM PDT by Bill Dupray
Democrats to let the moratorium expire on September 30. From AP.
Democrats have decided to allow a quarter-century ban on drilling for oil off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts to expire next week, conceding defeat in an month-long battle with the White House and Republicans set off by $4 a gallon gasoline prices this summer.Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey, D-Wis., told reporters Tuesday that a provision continuing the moratorium will be dropped this year from a stopgap spending bill to keep the government running after Congress recesses for the election.
Republicans have made lifting the ban a key campaign after gasoline prices spiked this summer and public opinion turned in favor of more drilling. President Bush lifted an executive ban on offshore drilling in July.
"If true, this capitulation by Democrats following months of Republican pressure is a big victory for Americans struggling with record gasoline prices," said House GOP leader John Boehner of Ohio.
Democrats had clung to the hope of only a partial repeal of the drilling moratorium, but the White House had promised a veto, Obey said.
Not bad for a minority party and an unpopular president. Cheers to the Republicans who stuck to their guns and especially the president for threatening a veto of the bill extending the ban.
Chalk up one for America!
(Excerpt) Read more at patriotroom.com ...
If I’m not mistaken (probably am) but that drilling thing is for drilling over 50 miles from the coast where there is no oil ...
I thought pelosi’s over 50 mile drilling thing was inserted in funding legislation for later this month.
No, that was in the Dem bill that passed recently. This ban includes everything, which means that there is no ban and it nullifies the Dem bill, which only passed the House. If the ban expires, there no longer are any federal restrictions. Of course, this doesn’t stop the environmentalists from filing suits to block any drilling.
She dropped it out.
This will open up all offshore drilling. The Democrats just want to get home to campaign for office.
I guess the states too will chime in ....
Prediction: Oil price plunge. You heard it here first!
Yep, they will have to decide what they want to do.
Aren’t the environmentalist wackos just going to use litigation to clog up the drilling?
Hmmmm....the dems must have gotten an earful from their constituents!
Yep! It will open up years and years and years from now after the envirowacos exhaust every thinkable lawsuit. This is why the Dems ave been sticking to their "we wont see a drop of oil for 10 - 20 year" talking point! The Dems don't care if the ban expires!
I doubt this story is true!
I think the fifty mile limit is new legislation. The lapsed ban will allow drilling in whatever form was permitted before the ban took place. It’s why Pelosi’s bill never had a chance.
It looks like Pelosi et al. dropped the drilling ban from the continuing resolution. She could still add it to the “must pass” continuing resolution to fund the government on the last day before congress takes their fall break which is Sept 26th. Then she and all her congress critters could head out of town leaving the bill for the senate to pass and hand off to the president either to veto and shut down the government or not. We have just 3 more days to she if she tries to pull something like this.
As someone who just spent 45 minutes driving around looking for a gas station that had gasoline to sell, I couldn’t be happier.
It wasn’t too clear from what I read ... so all off shore drilling is OK?
So what do the states have to say about it? Kalifornistan I understand is against drilling ....
IIRC didn’t Bubba sign an EO prohibiting the rest of the world from suing enviro whackos? Couldn’t GWB sign one forbidding lawsuits against oil exploration and production?
That part I am not sure of. I do think States have some say in the drilling. I would assume that since if you wanted to drill 1 mile offshore of a beach the state would have a vested interest in the issue.
Been to see friends in Santa Barbara - you can see the rigs out on the horizon .... they’re not like a mile out and invasive to the beach ....
“I guess the states too will chime in ....”
I don’t think they have much say. The OCS is under federal jurisdiction. If a state wants to have a say, they have to get their senators and representatives to do what they can do in congress. But hey, nothing wrong with the states having a say. If some state wants some of that oil and gas revenue coming their way, I think they are entitled.
If the envirowhackos sue, hopefully, somebody can whip out some good lawyers to countersue them for interfering in interstate commerce or endangering national security or some such. But given the track record to date, I don’t have that much hope.
If Obama wins, the drilling restrictions will be put back in place. So, don’t celebrate quite yet, although this is a good start.
I phoned Pelosi’s office this morning and railed on her recording machine that between the “bailout proposal” AND the “no new American oil” nonsense, the American public was angrier than I could ever remember in my long life. I also told her that IF the taxpayers were pushed too much harder, they just MIGHT face a full fledged taxpayer revolt! She must have gotten a lot of calls, the operator sounded awfully harried!
I think this latest effort is just an effort to save her job! Thanks, Delacon, for the PING! to this most excellent thread! We've won one for the Gipper!
You think they’re scared? I hope, I hope!
They are taking away a major campaign issue a month before the election.
I still think I'll have that banner made for my yard. It says: Vote Dem and Ride A Jackass To Work!
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