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House Kills Castor-Backed Bill To Spur Drilling On Current Leases

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By BILLY HOUSE

The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 17, 2008

WASHINGTON - The House today killed a bill that Democrats including Kathy Castor had pushed as a way to spur more drilling on 68 million acres of government land already leased by oil and gas companies in Alaska, the West and the western Gulf of Mexico.

The measure was a response to Republican calls to lift a long-standing drilling ban on most offshore U.S. waters, including off of Florida's coasts.

Opposition to that idea has put Democrats who control the House on the defensive as gas prices remain above $4 a gallon.

To counter that, the bill sponsored Thursday by West Virginia Democratic Rep. Nick Rahall contained what Democrats called 'Use It or Lose It' legislation, requiring oil producers to drill on the leases they already have or relinquish them.

Tampa Rep. Castor was one of 18 Democrats to co-sponsor the measure and the only Floridian to do so.

But like a similar Democratic effort defeated before the July 4 congressional recess, the bill on Thursday failed to gain the two-thirds support needed in an expedited procedure seeking to advance it to a final vote on passage.

The 244-173 vote in favor of proceeding left it 34 votes shy of what was needed.

Despite the defeat, Castor said that she believes the bill served a purpose because, she said, people now realize that 68 million acres of federal land already leased by oil companies are sitting idly by "and are not being drilled."

"We're going to keep working on a comprehensive solution; this is just one part of a multi-faceted plan to address high gas prices," said Castor.

While debating the measure on the House floor, Democrats insisted – almost pleadingly -- that they are pro-drilling.

"Make no mistake about it. As Democrats, we are pro-drilling," said Rahall.

"Drill, drill, drill. Drill here. Drill now!" Rahall said.

But Republicans were quick to note that Rahall, even while explaining the bill, felt it necessary to assure that it does not have an impact on the Artic National Wildlife Refuge in northeastern Alaska, which environmental groups, Alaskan tribes and others insist should remain closed to oil exploration.

Rahall said the Alaska reference in his bill does not refer to ANWR, only to another area of the state -- the National Petroleum Reserve Area -- already set aside by the government for drilling.

Rep. Steve Pearce, a New Mexico Republican, said that if Democrats are, in fact, eager to drill, rather than satisfy environmental groups, they should allow new exploration in both the protected ANWR and offshore areas.

Republicans also countered that a "use-it-or-lose-it" rule is already is the law of the land -- and that Congress needs to do more than that to help resolve the crisis that has resulted in soaring oil prices.

Pearce also suggested that some drilling that may not occur on the government-leased land could be related to bureaucratic red tape from regulators, delaying such exploration.

GOP Whip Roy Blunt, a Missouri Republican, likened the bill to legislation "ordering the sun to rise," and other Republicans called it a "fig-leaf" bill to mask that Democrats are preventing an up-or-down vote on opening up the offshore waters.

GOP Reps. Gus Bilirakis of Palm Harbor, C.W. "Bill" Young of Indian Shores, and Adam Putnam of Bartow voted against the measure. GOP Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite of Brooksville did not vote.

Reporter Billy House can be reached at (202) 662-7673 or bhouse@tampatrib.com.

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