Kill This No Drill Bill

Ben Lieberman / September 16, 2008

Is it too much to ask for an energy bill to actually have some energy in it? Apparently it is, judging by the latest offshore drilling measure being pushed by Congress.

Gasoline prices have dropped from last summer’s record levels, but they are still high enough to remain a big concern amongst voters heading into the November elections. And the public has recognized the single best idea for addressing them – making full use of the oil reserves here at home. Polling shows overwhelming support for opening up the 85 percent of America’s territorial waters – nearly all of the Atlantic and Pacific and eastern Gulf of Mexico – that inexplicably remain off limits to oil exploration and drilling.

However, the Democratic Congressional leadership, especially Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), has thus far opposed such measures. All summer, she refused to allow any Republican sponsored pro-drilling bills to even come to a vote. She is strongly anti-drilling but knew full well that enough Democrats would break ranks and support such a measure to put it over the top.

But her attempt to avoid the issue just isn’t cutting it with the public, and now she has been forced to offer up an offshore bill of her own.

But rather than a real bill, she has offered a sham. Imagine an orange bill that prohibits anything being grown in Florida and California. That’s about what this bill does for energy. (more…)