Effort to block drilling near Chesapeake Bay fails
A proposal moving through the House of Representatives that would speed up permitting for offshore oil drilling will not include an exemption for rigs near the Chesapeake Bay after an amendment offered by Rep. John Sarbanes to carve the area out of the legislation failed.
The amendment, which died on a 28-14 vote in the House Natural Resources Committee Wednesday, would have eliminated a provision permitting lease sales for oil and natural gas drilling off the coast of the Delmarva Peninsula.
“We ought not jeopardize the health of the Bay in pursuit of an extremist ‘drill everywhere’ agenda,” Sarbanes, a Democrat, said in a statement.
The legislation, which Republicans hope to bring to the floor later this year, would reverse the moratorium on new drilling leases President Barack Obama imposed in the wake of the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Committee chairman Doc Hastings, a Washington Republican, said the effort is intended to address rising gas prices and reduce the nation’s dependence on foreign oil.
The legislation “allows drilling to resume in a safe manner and provides certainty to businesses by implementing firm timelines for the Interior Department to act on permits,” Hastings said in a statement. “This bill ensures that endless bureaucratic delays and non-answers will no longer be tolerated."
Comments
Extremist, Mr. Sarbanes? You, sir are the extremist. Domestic production is a matter of national security, but who cares about that then you can kiss up to the environmentalist wacko vote?
Thank you for proving that arrgance, cluelessness and condescention are hereditary traits.
Posted by: Gary | April 13, 2011 11:37 PM
Uhm, Sarbanes is right. We should not be putting the environment at risk solely for our 'benefit.' Must there be drilling where it could runoff into the already partly-sick bay? I think not. Humans have done enough.
Posted by: Becky | April 29, 2011 2:01 AM
Uhm, also when have private oil companies ever cut America a break for oil extracted from North America? They keep passing off this drilling in our wildlife preserves etc as a benefit to us so we can "stop relying on foreign oil. Last I checked BP is a foreign company that drills right in our backyard and their gas is among the highest at the pump. Them destroying our wildlife under the false premise of lower gas prices and better national security is absolute bullshit. Its just ways for these big corporations to continue to suck us and this planet dry.
Posted by: Duh | April 29, 2011 1:38 PM
Has anyone thought that the 'rising gas prices' are a way of the oil industry to force our hand at letting them start drilling 'willy nilly'? Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the oil companies across the board report huge profits including BP? I just love how the price goes up for the slightest issue, and then stays there when the 'crisis' is over. They desensitize us to the price and we just accept it.
Posted by: Vince | April 29, 2011 3:32 PM
“What appears to be the most important factor at work is our dependence on imported energy,” she said. “This is what leaves us vulnerable to jumps in prices. When something changes thousands of miles away, the American people pay for it at the pump.”
EPA Chief Lisa Jackson
http://weaselzippers.us/2011/04/26/epa-chief-lisa-jackson-admits-theyre-the-reason-for-rising-gas-prices/
Posted by: Betty | May 4, 2011 11:06 AM