Sam Stein
Bill Nelson: Energy Bill With Offshore Drilling 'Dead On Arrival'First Posted: 04-30-10 11:02 AM | Updated: 04-30-10 11:59 AM
As an army of workers tries to stem the fallout of a massive oil spill along the Gulf Coast, back in Washington irreparable damage may already have been done to comprehensive energy legislation.
On Friday, Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) said that a bill that includes provisions to increase offshore drilling off the coast of the United States (as envisioned by, among others, the White House) would be a non-starter in the Senate.
"As the White House looks down the line, it wants a climate change bill later this year," Nelson told MSNBC. "
Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) was insisting that there's going to be offshore drilling. I think that's dead on arrival."
Aides in the Florida Democrat's office are even more skeptical about the prospects for an already-too-difficult-to-pass bill. Negotiators have basically incorporated the president's proposal to expand offshore drilling off the Atlantic coast (and in portions of the Gulf) at the behest of Graham -- who said it would be needed for him to help draw out Republican votes, these aides explained. Now, however, coastal senators (and not just Nelson) are prepared to walk away from the compromise if that provision remains in the final version.
...snip...
On Thursday, administration officials said that the massive spill will factor into their plans for energy legislation going forward, though they gave no indication that they would drop offshore drilling from their broad set of proposals. The administration announced on Friday morning that no offshore drilling will take place until a thorough investigation of the incident is completed. As it is, it will be next to impossible to start new offshore drilling in that time frame.
...more...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/30/bill-nelson-energy-bill-w_n_558465.html
We can only hope that the plan to expand exploration and drilling is dead as a result of this calamity.
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