Posted on 06/16/2008 12:39:23 PM PDT by Aria
RLINGTON, Va. (AP) - Sen. John McCain said Monday the federal moratorium on offshore oil and gas drilling should be lifted, and individual states given the right to pursue energy exploration in waters near their own coasts. With gasoline prices rising and the United States chronically dependent on foreign oil, the Republican presidential contender said his proposal would "be very helpful in the short term resolving our energy crisis."
McCain also suggested giving the states incentives, including a greater share of royalties paid by companies that drill for oil, as an incentive to permit exploration.
Asked how far offshore states should be given control of drilling rights, he said that was a matter for negotiation.
He offered no other details for his proposal, which he is expected to describe more fully on Tuesday in an energy speech.
The current drilling moratorium is a perennial cause for controversy, pitting those who favor additional exploration on the one hand against environmentalists on the other.
The current ban on offshore drilling covers an estimated 80 percent of U.S. coastal waters. Given Democratic opposition in Congress to ending it, the Bush administration and congressional Republicans have been seeking the type of state option that McCain endorsed.
The GOP presidential candidate said a recent run-up in the price of oil was having an adverse effect on consumers.
"We've seen the impact of it in the form of food prices, in the form of gasoline, in the form of threats of inflation and indeed indications of inflation, and we must we must embark on a national mission to eliminate our dependence on foreign oil," he told reporters. McCain has sought to carve out something of a middle road on energy issues, parting company with many Republicans by opposing drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska, for example and calling for measures to reduce greenhouse gases.
The Senate last month rejected a GOP energy plan, 56-42, that included a provision similar to McCain's proposal. It would have allowed a state's governor to petition to have the federal moratorium lifted for waters off its coast. Republican senators argued there are some 14 billion barrels of recoverable oil available in waters now off limits. Also, the House has twice approved giving states the right to opt out of the federal ban, both when the GOP held the majority, but the proposal has never made it through the Senate.
McCain made his remarks before leaving the Washington area for a pair of fundraisers in Dallas.
Another fundraising event, originally set for the home of Clayton Williams in Midland, Texas was pulled from the schedule after a controversy erupted over remarks the 1990 Texas GOP gubernatorial candidate made several years ago about rape.
McCain sought to minimize the fallout, telling reporters that his aides had not known of the earlier comment when they scheduled the event
"We'll do it someplace else and I understand he's not attending. That's pretty much the sum of it all," he said.
He said he would hold another fundraising in the Midland area later this summer and Williams would not attend. Democrats have called on McCain to return more than $300,000 that Williams had raised for McCain from other individuals.
Is the light bulb finally starting to flicker for McCain?
“Sen. John McCain said Monday the federal moratorium on offshore oil and gas drilling should be lifted, and individual states given the right to pursue energy exploration in waters near their own coasts.”
Not strong enough. The individual states should have no choice in the matter. It is a matter of national security at this point.
What’s the difference in states pursuing their offshore drilling, and Alaska with their land? Spills on land are much easier to clean up than those offshore. Someone has a myopic eye.
No, probably just a couple of crossed wires throwing off a spark or two...the grid will go down shortly.
I sent a message through his Senate site saying that if he supported drilling then I’d start sending money. I can’t have been the only one - I’ve seen lots of comments by the media and in blogs that he could win the election by supporting drilling.
Drill Here. Drill RIGHT Now.
it’s about effing time, now start hammering all the Dems, pointing out Clintons veto of ANWR and all other Dem restrictions on producing our own energy.
Well, can this be stretched to mean McCain supports ANWR drilling? ANWR is not on the shore, its just inshore as opposed to offshore.
Maybe someone on his team is gradually getting through to him that “carving the middle road” fails to win over liberals and turns off conservatives.
It’s not as though there aren’t ample historical examples of the milquetoast strategy failing reliably miserably over the past seventy years.
Therefore, McCain does not want to drill off the coasts of Florida and California.
He is excellent on health care proposals, the Bush tax cuts, WOT and surprisingly good on pro-life positions.
But then he will say something just off-the-wall like CEO pay, global warming, etc.
I love this comment on drilling. But will he still believe it tomorrow?
Are you series? It is just a wift of smoke from a snuffed candle.
I had a conversation with a relative yesterday, who owns land in NYS. He had gone to get diesel for his tractor, and was told by the station Oil Co. there that they were signing customers to heating oil contracts for the coming winter, for ........get this.............6.00 a gallon! It is breathtaking to think how many will freeze to death because of prices like that.
McCain’s comment on offshore drilling is worthless since he stipulated that the individual states could decide if they wanted to drill off of their coasts.
Florida and California will say No to drilling.
Just an another empty promise from a Senate Liberal.
I doubt it. After all, my former congressman was an anti ANWR RINO who also opposed drilling under the great lakes, John McCain was one of his big supporters.
The Presidential candidate who jumps on this bandwagon (Drill Here, Drill Now) and hammers his point home at every opportunity, wins in November.
John, John, John.
Doncha know that more drilling will lead to more CO2?
How can you implement Cap and Trade (read: New Taxes) if you won’t CAP?
John’s light is flickering, alright. Out. There is no intellectual consistency by supporting Drilling and the Global Warming cult. They are polar opposites, and John doesn’t get it.
Other states will say yes. And if the Federal ban is lifted, general resistance toward ANWR will diminish as well.
FL and CA can fight the battle within their states and drilling will prevail over time there as profits are seen in other states.
Get it out of Federal domain and give it to the States. That's where most stuff belongs. I hope McCain continues speaking about this.
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