Durbin voices doubt on extending drilling ban

[thewall77]

Source: The Hill

By Manu Raju
09/16/08

Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) conceded Tuesday that Democrats might not be able to extend the nearly three-decade-old ban on offshore drilling when Congress takes up spending legislation this month.

Under election-year pressures from Republicans over rising gas prices, Democrats have dropped their resistance to new offshore drilling on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. And Democratic leaders in both chambers seem willing to concede that they lack the support to add the drilling ban to a continuing resolution that will keep the government operating past Oct. 1. Since 1981, Congress has put the drilling ban on spending legislation to prohibit the Interior Department from using federal dollars on oil and gas lease sales along the coastal United States.

Democrats had considered pushing through the stopgap resolution with the offshore drilling ban and daring the GOP to block the measure, which would shut down the federal government just weeks before Election Day. But they now seem reluctant for such a high-profile fight before Nov. 4.

"That will be hard to do, at this point," Durbin said of extending the offshore drilling ban. "As you can see, we're making some concessions on the issue

Read more: http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/durbin-voices-doubt-on-extending-drilling-ban-2008-09-16.html

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That's a shame, because expert opinion shows that drilling will do nothing to lower gas prices for at least a decade, and the impact will be little anyway.

[Kermitt Gribble]

1. Cave, Cave, Cave. No wonder

our party is perceived as weak.

[trynotto_giveuphope]

2. I Think This Is Good

Not that I actually think offshore drilling is a good idea, nor do I foresee it effecting gas prices much. But I think it'll speed up the process of actually getting REAL energy reform accomplished. Once everyone sees that gas prices are still $5 after allowing offshore drilling, even Republicans are going to concede we need to abandon oil in a big, big way.

[Tikki]

4. Can you see how an oil spill could affect a Coastal economy?

Oh, wait...you do not have pristine beaches along your coast...

I doubt if you will ever see new oil rigs off the Central Coast of California.

Tikki

[trynotto_giveuphope]

6. Of Course That Would Be Bad

I'm not defending offshore drilling. My point is that this is all a charade. If we call their bluff--"Yes, you can have offshore drilling"--by the time the oil companies actually get their operations up and running, gas is gonna be through the roof and people will demand an alternative.

[SemperEadem]

3. This debate isn't about stopping what the thugs want

this is about going on the record against this land grab by the oil companies so that they hold all licenses and land and forces competitors out... aside from the fact, the "foreign oil" debate is moot because Canada is our #1 provider of oil; and Canada is our #1 trading partner.

Aside from that fact that if they started drilling today, our country wouldn't see a dimes worth of difference in the price of oil for at least 10 years.

Americans are really that fucking dumb--and the thugs are treasonous.

[boomerbust]

5. Next Stop

ANWR