Offshore oil and natural gas drilling in the eastern Gulf of
Mexico – albeit in a limited form – is a go.
On Monday, officials with U.S. Rep. John Peterson, R-Pa.’s,
office said a narrower version of the lawmaker’s natural gas
legislation, which would have opened up the Outer Continental Shelf
for drilling, was passed by the Senate over the weekend.
The provision was attached to a broader measure which extended
popular tax relief programs along with preventing doctors from
taking a big cut in Medicare payments.
The Outer Continental Shelf legislation, which was co-authored
by Peterson and Neil Abercrombie, D-Hawaii, was passed earlier this
year by the House. The latest bill will allow 8.3 million acres in
the Gulf to be opened up to oil and gas drilling.
“When it comes to passing important legislation around here, you
learn to shoot for the stars in the hope that you might land on the
moon,” Peterson said. “I don’t know that we even approached the
stratosphere with this bill, but I do believe it represents an
important first step as we look for ways to build upon the
foundation of support we were able to assemble this past
Congress.”
Over the past few weeks, the Republican-controlled Congress has
worked to pass numerous pieces of legislation before the Democrats
take control in January. Peterson has fought to gain momentum for
his legislation throughout the year. At one point, the lawmaker
wrote a letter to President Bush detailing the country’s failed
energy policy and how it could be alleviated by unlocking the vital
supply of oil and natural gas reserves in the waters off the U.S.
coast.
The measure was greeted with some consternation from the Florida
and California Congressional delegations, who were worried about
the effects of drilling on those states’ tourism economies.
“Natural gas is essential to the nation’s economy and brings
some measure of relief to our disintegrating manufacturing sector,
so passage of these provisions makes sense,” Abercrombie said.
“This legislation is also critical to the continued growth of our
alternative energy industry …”
Officials said the language also ensures that Louisiana will
have resources to re-establish critical coastal wetlands that can
reduce the impact of hurricanes on the region.
Broken down, Senate Bill 3711, authored by Senate Energy and
Natural Resources Committee Chairman Pete Domenici, R-N.M., will
open up areas for drilling that are currently considered subject to
long-standing presidential and congressional moratoria. The bill
also calls for the opening of about 2.5 million acres in the Gulf
no later than a year after the legislation is enacted.
It also looks to open up another 5.8 million acres as soon as
possible by the U.S. Department on the Interior, which manages
issues related to offshore development.
The legislation is especially pertinent now with the volatility
of the energy market and the rising cost of natural gas.
The bill will now go before President Bush for his
signature.
