Power of one; Pelosi resists pressure to drill

[Enrique]

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/staff/rob_hotakainen/story/44731.html

WASHINGTON — A plan to lift the ban on coastal drilling is stalled on Capitol Hill, for one simple reason: A Californian who opposes President Bush's proposal is calling the shots in the House of Representatives.

Despite growing public support for ending the ban, even in California, Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she won't allow a vote.

"I have no plans to do so," Pelosi said Thursday.

It's an example of the vast power placed in the office of the speaker, who sets the agenda for the 435-member House. Members can force a vote if enough of them sign a petition, but that's a rarity because it requires rank-and-file Democrats to line up against their boss.

In this case, Pelosi is going against a rising tide of public opinion. Faced with rapidly increasing gasoline prices, 73 percent of Americans now favor offshore drilling, according to a poll conducted by CNN/Opinion Research Corp.

Support is even growing in California, where a majority of residents have long supported the ban. A new Field Poll survey shows that just 51 percent now favor the ban, compared with 56 percent in 2005.

(...)

[ixion]

1. she fights so hard against this, yet impeachment and Rule of Law are

off the table? :shrug:

I don't get it.

[Enrique]

2. priorities

Pelosi values things such as preventing drilling, saving Medicare, funding programs for homeless vets, the farm bill with billions of aid to needy people, all against Bush's opposition, over impeachment. Regarding Fisa, she did fight for months without anyone noticing. People only began to care about it when she lost.

[ixion]

3. so... upholding the Constitution is not a priority...great

no wonder I've come to regard her as worthless.

[Enrique]

4. she says it does uphold the Constitution

[ixion]

5. poppycock... no more than the MCA or the unPATRIOTic Act

do...

[BlooInBloo]

6. Give her 5 more minutes - she'll cave.

[Enrique]

7. it's possible

like all fights, this one can be lost.

I'm going to support her fight, I've already contacted my republican congressman thanking him for continuing to oppose drilling over the immense pressure they're all under.

[Donkeykick]

8. All one needs to do is...

read between the lines on what oil companies are going to do once they're able to do this. http://www.factcheck.org/askfactcheck/are_the_democrats_correct_in_stating_that.html">Factcheck.org Just about all of this complaining is illusory. :eyes:

[Enrique]

9. that Factcheck article is about onshore drilling

the article in my OP is about offshore drilling.

[Kip Humphrey]

10. Mute point and probably reelection rhetoric. The congressional moratorium expires in Sept. & must .

be re-authorized which has no chance in this political environment.

For those uninitiated in deep water oil exploration & production, lifting the moratorium will lead to higher costs in the short to mid-term because service capacity is already at capacity and acting as a real constraint. Because of constrained materials and services, the cost of bringing in a deep water well has more than doubled in the last 5 years without opening up more areas to exploration and production. Opening the East and/or west coasts will only push those costs thru the roof, increasing the capital requirements, putting additional pressure on the credit markets and do nothing to bring more oil to the market in the next 7 years (the shortest time it takes to find and bring a new offshore field into production).

[Finishline42]

11. Good point Kip

The Dems need to open it up, let the states make the decision - but the Dems need to get something for it. Make sure that the ITC for alternative energy gets passed. Gore pointed out that with the cost of oil and coal going up, the economics for Wind and Solar are becoming competitive. Wall Street really likes the short time frame for implementation for Alt Energy vs the long time frame for nuclear.