US House cancels vote on OCS offshore drilling bill

Washington (Platts)--5Dec2006

US House Republican leaders canceled a planned floor vote Tuesday on a
Senate bill that would open more than 8 million acres of the Outer Continental
Shelf in the Gulf of Mexico to energy development.

Although no reason was given, bill proponents did not have the two-thirds
vote needed to pass the measure under the special vote, an aide for one of the
bill's supporters said.

The aide said members in favor of the bill are working with leadership to
consider other possibilities for moving the bill through the House by the end
of this week, when the current lame-duck session is scheduled to end.

A spokesman for House Majority Leader John Boehner, Republican-Ohio, said
"the House will revisit the offshore drilling legislation again at some point
before the end of this week, though details on the mechanics of how the
measure will be considered have yet to be decided."

Senator Mary Landrieu, Democrat-Louisiana, said in a statement that she
was hopeful the House would take up the bill. "I pledge to use every resource
at my disposal to do everything possible to see that this vital legislation is
passed before Congress goes home."

--Daniel Whitten, daniel_whitten@platts.com

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