The ban on offshore oil drilling that expired last September will be restored by "any means necessary," Rep. Jay Inslee (D-Wash.), who serves on both the House Committee on Natural Resources and the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, told CNSNews.com on Friday.
Inslee, who participated in a conference entitled "Planning for a Secure Energy Future" sponsored by the Washington Post, also recommended a ban on future drilling in the arctic, where he says there is a "gold rush" for oil uncovered by melting ice caps.
| It's almost as if he wants us dependent on the Saudis and Hugo ... |
But Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.), who serves on the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming and also attended the conference, told CNSNews.com that offshore oil drilling should provide an integral part of American energy and recommended the Interior Department begin distributing offshore oil drilling leases.
Back in June, President George W. Bush lifted an 18-year-old executive order banning new offshore drilling that had been put in place by his father, President George H.W. Bush, and extended by President Bill Clinton.
At the end of September 2008, Congress -- then in the midst of crafting a $700-billion financial bailout and facing nationwide pressure to lower gas prices and remove the ban -- allowed a 26-year-old moratorium of offshore oil drilling that had been annually attached to the Interior Department funding bill, to expire. |