House votes to keep ban on off-shore drilling

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Posted on May 19, 2006
Filed Under Global warming/Climate change, Deep ecology, Ecological hope, Fossil fuel dependency, Earth spirituality

Today from Margaret Swedish:

With Rep. Adam Putnam, R-Fl, calling it , “a grievous assault on Florida and other (coastal) states," the House of Representatives yesterday voted down an attempt to end a 25-year-long ban on natural gas and oil drilling along 85 percent of US coastal waters.  The drilling provision had been added to the funding bill for the Interior Department.

The legislation was strongly opposed by members from coastal states with huge tourism industries.  "People don't go to visit the coasts of Florida or the coast of California to watch oil wells," said Rep. Sam Farr, D-Calif. Environmentalists were also strong opponents.

Representatives in favor of drilling noted that off-shore production would be one way to reduce US dependence on foreign energy sources.  Some members also played the nationalist card. "Natural gas beyond three miles belongs to all Americans and we are entitled to use it," proclaimed Rep. Charles Regula, R-Ohio.  What does he care about anyone’s coastal waters?

But Rep. Lois Capps, D-Calif, countered that drilling 3 miles off precious coastlines would do nothing to lower energy costs “anytime in the near future” – which is true.

President Bush has opposed drilling off Florida’s coast in deference to his brother, Gov. Jeb Bush, who would face fierce political opposition were drilling to be approved.

The vote is good news for the environment, but that’s not all Congress did yesterday.

In still more good news, the House “approved a restriction on road-building in the Tongass National Forest in Alaska,” and “told the Environmental Protection Agency not to implement a 2003 directive that environmentalists contend reduces wetlands protection.”

But lest we think the House is going way, way green on us, they disappointed us on another amendment, a proposal on climate change that would put Congress on record as supporting mandatory limits on carbon emissions, the leading cause of global warming leading to climate change.  Debate was blocked and “a sense of Congress Resolution on the issue was ruled out of order.”

According to the AP article in the Wash. Post, “The climate provision offered by Rep. Norman Dicks, D-Wash., would have put lawmakers on record as agreeing that human actions were contributing to global warming and that carbon emissions into the atmosphere should be limited.”

God forbid Congress should acknowledge that.  They might feel compelled to do something about it then.

Take the victories, but work like hell to reverse the defeats!

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