Drilling advocates vow to shut down US govt

13 August 2008 20:17  [Source: ICIS news]

WASHINGTON (ICIS news)--Members of Congress who want to open US offshore regions to oil and gas development said on Wednesday they will force a federal government shutdown on 1 October unless they get a vote on expanded drilling.

 

Representative John Peterson (Republican-Pennsylvania) said that when Congress returns from its recess on 8 September he and other pro-drilling members of the House will force a vote on whether to continue a 21-year-old congressional ban on offshore drilling in 85% of the US outer continental shelf (OCS) regions.

 

The US chemicals industry - heavily dependent on natgas as a feedstock and power source - and a broad spectrum of other manufacturing interests have been pressing Congress for five years to end the offshore moratorium.

 

The congressional ban on drilling in most of the OCS areas off US coasts is contained in the Interior Department’s appropriations bill that typically is renewed each year by Congress. Democrat leaders in the House have postponed a vote on the fiscal year 2009 Interior Department appropriations bill, apparently in order to avoid a vote on the offshore drilling ban and the prospect that the ban would be ended.

 

Unless the drilling moratorium is renewed by a vote of Congress within the next month, it will automatically expire on 1 October, the beginning of the federal government’s 2009 fiscal year.

 

House leaders could still avoid a confrontational vote on the offshore moratorium by postponing the Interior Department appropriations bill to next year - when Democrats expect to have wider majorities in both the House and Senate after this year’s national elections in November. 

 

However, to keep the federal government in operation for the last three months of this calendar year, the House leadership would have to pass a continuing resolution (CR), which would maintain funding authority for the Interior Department at current levels until Congress can address the 2009 fiscal appropriations bill early in the new year.

 

But Peterson and others in Congress warn they will do whatever is necessary to either get a vote on offshore drilling or force a shutdown of federal operations by refusing to approve continuing resolutions needed to keep federal operations funds flowing.

 

“If the Democratic leadership fails to address the energy crisis when we return in September and includes the offshore moratorium in a CR, I am prepared to explore all avenues - including a government shutdown,” Peterson said on Wednesday.

 

Peterson, other House Republicans and some Democrats support legislation, HR-6790, that would repeal all offshore drilling bans but bar development within 25 miles of shorelines.  It also would channel some royalty fees to states and research toward alternative energy and conservation.

 

In the Senate, Senator Jim DeMint (Republican-South Carolina) and nearly 40 other senators have signed a letter asking Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (Democrat-Nevada) to allow a vote to end the offshore drilling ban. A similar campaign in the House is being led by Representative Jeb Hensarling (Republican-Texas).

 

DeMint, who with Hensarling is calling 1 October the "US energy freedom day", indicated earlier that he has enough votes among Republicans and with a few Democrats in the Senate to block any emergency spending bills and force a shutdown of federal operations.

 

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Democrat-California) has long opposed offshore drilling and until recently has vowed to block any House vote on ending the OCS moratorium.

 

However, earlier this week she indicated she might allow such a vote if ending the offshore ban was to be coupled with alternative energy, conservation and efficiency measures favoured by Democrats.

 

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ICIS Copyright © Reed Business Information 2009

Author: Joe Kamalick
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