Posted on 07/19/2008 8:50:34 AM PDT by DallasBiff
WASHINGTON A plan to lift the ban on coastal drilling is stalled on Capitol Hill, for one simple reason: A Californian who opposes President Bush's proposal is calling the shots in the House of Representatives.
Despite growing public support for ending the ban, even in California, Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she won't allow a vote.
"I have no plans to do so," Pelosi said Thursday.
It's an example of the vast power placed in the office of the speaker, who sets the agenda for the 435-member House. Members can force a vote if enough of them sign a petition, but that's a rarity because it requires rank-and-file Democrats to line up against their boss.
In this case, Pelosi is going against a rising tide of public opinion. Faced with rapidly increasing gasoline prices, 73 percent of Americans now favor offshore drilling, according to a poll conducted by CNN/Opinion Research Corp
(Excerpt) Read more at mcclatchydc.com ...
Contact your Congress critters to let them know that you are tired of high gas prices.
9% approval rating! Stand your ground Pelosi!! Shoot for 1% and make history again!!
And her voters will fully support her out in Fagafrisco.
McCain, Bush, and the RNC needs to hang this around that witch’s neck for all to see!
Do Nothing Nancy doing what she does best. Hey Grandma, Lead, Follow or get the ______ out of the way!
If you like $5/gal, Thank Pelosi in Nov.
Pray for W and Our Troops
I just dont understand why Nancy just cant "swallow" the idea of offshore drilling.
Note how that line was written -- as if she was one daring, brave voice in the howling wilderness. When in fact it should be written more along the lines of:
"In this case, Pelosi is dismissing the rising tide of public opinion."
District Office - 450 Golden Gate Ave. - 14th Floor - San Francisco, CA 94102 - (415) 556-4862
Washington, D.C. Office - 235 Cannon HOB - Washington, DC 20515 - (202) 225-4965
The Green-stop-o at their neo Luddite dictatorially best
I am confused here. I thought that the ban had to be renewed each year. If the opposite is true (i.e. that the ban is permanent unless Congress removes it), then Congress can do that at any time. There should be no set date upon which Congress can take action.
“We, the people”....
[The congressional ban on offshore drilling has been in effect since 1981, but Congress must renew it each year. The issue could come to a head again in September, though Pelosi could make it tougher for opponents to kill the ban if she includes it in an omnibus spending bill that may be required to keep the government operating]
Stop Oil Seeps - we can clean up oil seeps by drilling into undersea oil reservers
1. According to the National Academy of Science, over 60% of the oil that pollutes our coastal waters is caused by oil just left in the sands below the ocean bottom and allowed to seep naturally into our waters.
2. Only 1% of the pollution in our coastal waters is attribuatable to accidents or human error involving offshore drilling.
The facts are clear.
We must act now to save Willie and all of our other furry and feathered friends
Think of the children.
Call your Congressman and demand that we end this destruction of our environment.
Demand that we safely and immediately begin removing the oil from the ocean floor before it has any further chance to pollute our environment.
For Gaia’s Sake
EMBRACE THE GREEN.
SAVE THE WHALES.
DRILL OFFSHORE NOW.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0422/p18s03-hfks.htm
from the April 22, 2008 edition - http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0422/p18s03-hfks.html
Ooey, gooey oil seeps on the seafloor
For kids: Off the coast of Santa Barbara, Calif., people aren’t polluting the ocean with oil nature is.
By Lance Wills
Santa Barbara, Calif., is famous for its golden beaches, wind-swept cliffs, and scenic views of the Pacific Ocean. But the city’s postcard image hides a dirty secret: oil slicks as colorful as a rainbow and as smelly as a gas station float atop ocean waves just offshore.
Don’t blame the oil rigs that dot the coastline, though. They may actually be helping keep the marine environment clean. In this topsy-turvy place, people aren’t polluting the ocean nature is.
Oil from underground deposits has been seeping into the Santa Barbara Channel for thousands of years. Every day, about 11 tons of oil droplets and oil-coated gas bubbles leak out of small holes or fissures in the seafloor.
Because oil is lighter than water, much of it rises to the ocean’s surface and floats in thin, silvery slicks. But not all of it will reach the surface. About 15 percent will dissolve in the water in about a month. A small amount will sink into the mud and muck on the seafloor. And some of it will thicken into the gooey, black tar balls that wash ashore on Santa Barbara’s tourist beaches.
Tar balls can be little black pebbles not much bigger than your fingernail, or they can be big, black blobs several inches across. Step on a sticky tar blob with your bare foot, and you’ll wish you hadn’t.
ESTIMATES SAY WE COULD HAVE OIL FROM THE REGION IN ONE YEAR!
(Nancy and Friends, destroying capitalism one government made crisis at a time,)
Yes, We the people need to do whatever we can to put the pressure on. Writing and calling members of Congress is a good start. I am also making up little stickers to put on every gas pump I can. Taking file folder stickers and writing, “High prices brought to you by Democrat Congress”.
"Safe word: Palamino!"
...black tar balls that wash ashore on Santa Barbaras tourist beaches....
Can you harvest these? at $5 a gallon it’s now worth the effort.
Wrong weekend, John. You wont even get a flashlight. This weekend is devoted to BHO and his historial magical mystery tour.
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