House Passes Energy Bill
Democrats tout drilling provisions; GOP dismisses bill as "sham"
By Eric Berman
9/17/2008

After weeks of resistance from Democratic leaders, the House has approved a bill to allow more offshore oil drilling. But Republicans are blasting the bill as a "sham."

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had vowed to block any attempt to open up more area for drilling. But the bill passed on a near-party-line vote does exactly that, in waters more than 50 miles off the U-S coast.

"You're supposed to listen to your constituents, and more than 60% of my constituents say they want more drilling," says Ninth District Democrat Baron Hill.

Hill says the vote puts the U-S on the road to oil independence. Republicans say it does nothing but try to give cover to Democratic incumbents. They say it'll never pass the Senate before adjournment, and say the 50-mile limit is too far out to do any good.

Fifth District Republican Dan Burton co-sponsored a bill which would have allowed drilling beyond 25 miles. Burton says the dropoff of the ocean floor is so steep that the extra 25 miles makes a dramatic difference in oil companies' ability to reach any oil. Sixth District Republican Mike Pence says it's estimated only one-eighth of offshore oil is outside the 50-mile line.

Republicans also complain the bill does not give states any revenue from new drilling. States currently receive up to 39% of the revenue from drilling in their waters.

Pence faults the bill for omitting incentives for nuclear power as part of a package of incentives for alternative fuels. Hill says there was no political consensus on nuclear energy.

The bill passed the House 236-189, with 15 Republicans crossing over to vote for it, and 13 Democrats going the other way to vote no. Indiana's delegation voted along party lines, although Second District Democrat Joe Donnelly supported an unsuccessful attempt to substitute a GOP-backed bill before voting for the final package.

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