Pombo proposes lifting offshore drilling moratorium [View All]

[davidinalameda]

hope this isn't a dupe

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/10/07/MNG6MF3SU11.DTL

New legislation moving through Congress would end the quarter-century-old moratorium on drilling off the coast of California and other states, and shift the power to block development in coastal waters from Congress to governors and state legislatures.

The proposal by House Resources Committee Chairman Richard Pombo, R-Tracy, also adds a sweetener to boost offshore oil and gas production: States that allow drilling off their coasts would gain a greater share of royalty payments from energy companies, which usually go to the federal government.

The measure is stirring debate in coastal states from California to Florida, with environmentalists and some lawmakers saying the measure could weaken existing protections and spark conflicts between neighboring states that disagree over whether to allow oil and gas rigs off their shores.


this ain't gonna fly around here