Senate Opposition To Offshore Drilling Is Piecemeal
Senator Barbara Boxer is introducing legislation today that would reinstate the moratorium on expanded offshore drilling. It’s a powerful environmental bill – as far as it goes. You see, Boxer’s bill only applies to the waters of California, Oregon and Washington.
Senator Bill Nelson has introduced S. 3308, a bill that would suspend all expansion of offshore drilling. Like Boxer’s legislation, it’s powerful – as far as it goes. You see, Nelson’s legislation only suspends expansion of offshore drilling “until the date on which the joint investigation into the Deepwater Horizon incident in the Gulf of Mexico has been completed”. After that, expansion of offshore drilling could continue at full speed.
Opposition to offshore drilling, though strong among the American people, is hesitant and limited in the U.S. Senate. Senators are offering limited legislation to deal with the problem of risky offshore drilling, presenting bills that affect only certain areas, or only for a certain time.
To deal with the crisis caused by the Drill Baby Drill push over the last couple of years, comprehensive legislation is required. A tweak here and there won’t give the coasts of the USA the protection that they need.
[...] the bills that have been introduced to restore the moratorium on the expansion of offshore drilling. It sounds impressive, to reinstate such a moratorium. A look at the details, however, reveals a [...]