As the new home of OSPIRG's environmental work, Environment Oregon can be contacted regarding this news release.The
U.S. House of Representatives this afternoon voted to allow oil and gas
drilling off America’s coasts. Oregon Representatives Peter DeFazio and
Greg Walden both voted in favor of the measure, which would open areas
off the Oregon coast; the rest of the Oregon delegation voted against.
The House passed the Deep Ocean Energy Resources Act (H.R.4761), ending
the 25 year bipartisan moratorium that has kept in check expansion of
offshore drilling. Having upheld the moratorium in a May 18 vote on the
FY 2007 Interior Appropriations bill, the House reversed itself today.
Oil and gas drilling threatens to destroy a way of life in America’s
coastal communities.
In
May, the House rejected opening our coasts to natural gas drilling as
close as three miles offshore. Today’s bill could result in both gas
and oil drilling as close as three miles offshore if a state approves
of it. States would have to jump through multiple hoops every five
years to keep drilling 50 miles off their coast and would have no say
on whether drilling could occur 100 miles offshore. In addition, the
bill drills a $3 billion hole in the federal treasury in the first ten
years by setting up a program for sharing oil and gas revenues with
coastal states if they approve drilling.
The
bill offers no solutions to our country’s energy problems and continues
an emphasis on drilling even though the country, and Oregon, have much
better solutions at their disposal. Energy efficiency and new renewable
energy sources would both provide faster and cheaper solutions to
America’s energy problems. The public deserves real solutions that use
American technology and know-how to save energy by improving the gas
mileage of our cars and SUVs and developing clean, renewable energy,
including Oregon’s abundant wind and solar power. Congress should stop
wasting time finding more handouts for Big Oil and start taking serious
steps to make our cars and trucks go farther on a gallon of gas.
We’re counting on the Senate to stop this repeated attack on America’s coasts.
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