US Interior funding bill silent for now on OCS ban

Washington (Platts)--4May2006

A US House subcommittee Thursday approved a fiscal 2007 appropriations
bill for the Department of Interior without changing a 25-year-old
congressional ban on oil and natural gas development on the Outer Continental
Shelf, a move one of the panel's members has been advocating.

Still, Representative John Peterson, Republican-Pennsylvania, is likely
to offer an amendment ending the ban when the full Appropriations Committee
votes on the funding bill May 10, his spokesman said.

"Just because it didn't come up this morning doesn't mean he won't offer
it in full committee," the spokesman said after the vote by the Interior,
Environment and Related Agencies Subcommittee.

Peterson has pursued a two-pronged strategy for development on the OCS,
first by targeting the congressional ban on oil and gas development off the
East and West Coasts of the United States and by introducing a bill
(HR 4318) that would revoke a presidential order banning OCS development and
allowing offshore gas drilling 20 miles or more from shore.

Before the subcommittee voted on the appropriations bill, Peterson, a
member of the panel, urged support for oil and gas drilling from lawmakers who
normally resist such activities. "For the first time, I'm looking at
[Corporate Average Fuel Economy] standards," he said, noting proposals to
promote energy conservation through higher CAFE standards. "I'm changing my
heart, and I guess I'm asking all those voting increases in [energy] supply to
reconsider that."

---Bill Loveless, bill_loveless@platts.com

For similar news, take a trial to Platts Inside Energy at
http://insideenergy.platts.com.


 

Copyright © 2005 - Platts

Please visit:  www.platts.com

Their coverage of energy matters is extensive!!.