From The Road
June 16, 2008 2:05 PM

McCain Asks To Lift Offshore Drilling Bans

By
John Bentley
Topics
John McCain
(CBS)

From CBS News' John Bentley:


ARLINGTON, VA. – As John McCain rolls out his energy policy this week, he called for a lifting of the federal moratorium preventing states from exploring for oil off of their coasts. "They have to be lifted so that states can make those decisions," McCain said. "I'm not dictating to the states that they drill or they engage in oil exploration, I am saying that the moratoria should be lifted so that they have the opportunity to do so. By the way, I would also like to see perhaps additional incentives…in the form of tangible financial rewards if the states decide to lift those moratoria."

Searching for offshore oil and gas deposits was banned in 1981 by the Outer Continental Shelf moratorium, which prevents the leasing of coastal waters for fossil fuel development. Roughly 85 percent of U.S. coastal areas are currently protected by the moratorium. McCain's Democratic rival, Barack Obama, voted against a Senate measure last March that would have lifted the ban, and has spoken out against offshore drilling, calling it a "short-term solution."

McCain admitted offshore drilling would only be helpful in the short term, but would provide a good start in helping the U.S. develop other sources of energy. "We must embark on a national mission to eliminate our dependence on foreign oil and reduce greenhouse gases through the development of alternate energy sources," McCain said. "Exploration is a step toward the longer term goal."


Add a Comment See all 22 Comments
by fmoolten-2009 June 18, 2008 2:28 PM EDT
Maintaining the a ban on drilling will be a test of political courage because it pits the long term good against short term political popularity. Inevitably, we will be unable to avoid replacing fossil fuels with alternative energy sources, but our pace in doing this, and protecting our climate in the bargain, will be impeded if we try to bring down the price of oil to satisfy short term demand. The far better alternative is for oil and gasoline to remain expensive, and for middle and lower income families to be compensated with tax credits as well as subsidies for energy conservation, including fuel efficient vehicles.
Fred Moolten
Reply to this comment
by kirslis-2009 June 17, 2008 8:14 PM EDT
McCain and GOP forced and shoved the now failed Energy Policy upon Democrats against strong objections! Now McCain and GOP want to pretend that %u201CNew%u201D solutions are needed and want to forget their GOP INSISTENCE to rape and pillage the Country! McCain and GOP wanted Democrats to just lay back and enjoy being raped as Big Oil pocketed record profits!

The McCain, Bush, Cheney and GOP Energy Policy failure has now come home to roost and now the GOP pretends that they had nothing to do with it! McCain says %u201COH go drill more oil for Big Oil and everything will be OK again!%u201D The total abject failure of the McCain GOP Energy policy must be squarely tied around McCain%u2019s and GOP necks! It is completely OUTRAGEOUS for McCain now to ignore the blatant failed Energy Policy they insisted on and now claim in their BIZARE IMAGINATION that it must be the Democrats fault! NOT THIS TIME! McCain and the GOP ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS ENERGY FAILURE AND MANY OTHERS AND MUST BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE BY THE MEDIA!
Reply to this comment
by mattcat25 June 17, 2008 1:11 PM EDT
%u201CANWAR, ANWAR, ANWAR, 911, terror, state and local, state and local, 911, terrorists, tax breaks, tax breaks, terri schiavo, anwar, anwar, anwar, inexperience, exotic, liberals, lapel pins, 911911911911, terror, anwar, terri schiavo, tax cuts, anwar.%u201D

Republicans don%u2019t care about Americans or our environment. The only thing they care about and the root principle of Conservative Value is %u201Cmake a buck off the other guys bad LUCK!%u201D

And, that other guy my friends are you and I.

The Republican Party is an OIL COMPANY!
Reply to this comment
by shingles1 June 17, 2008 4:25 AM EDT
Mattcat25, in fact the price of oil was $30 per barrel in late 2002.
Reply to this comment
by herman1989 June 17, 2008 12:54 AM EDT
Come on folks, if I was buying oil from my neighbor at $4.00 per gallon and it was putting my family under economic hardship, I would be less than a man, husband, and father if I did not drill in my own yard and I new there was a great possibility that there was oil underneath. God bless the child who has his own...OIL!!!
Reply to this comment
by javalation June 17, 2008 12:47 AM EDT
McCain says let the individual States decide about whether to drill offshore or not, which doesn''t really affect many States. I wonder what''s his position on letting States decide on medical marijuana?
Reply to this comment
by gkc99 June 16, 2008 10:50 PM EDT
"%u201CWe must embark on a national mission to eliminate our dependence on foreign oil and reduce greenhouse gases through the development of alternate energy sources,%u201D McCain said. %u201CExploration is a step toward the longer term goal.%u201D



More of the same is a first step toward a new goal?

Only McSame would say that!

So we trash our shores for a very short term goal, and that''s part of a long term goal?

Typical Repug Bushit!

And what states does McSame think would allow it?

Nothing on the Pacific coast, I assure you!

So here''s an idea--let Louisiana take some revenues from the offshore lands. they could rebuild their levees.
Reply to this comment
by rgrxx175 June 16, 2008 9:20 PM EDT
the great oil war has started, who could get more oil.....
Reply to this comment
by rowdywicca June 16, 2008 9:20 PM EDT
The answer is economics 101, when there is high demand, increase supply and prices will come down. Why is it that the Dems don''''t seem to get this basic economic FACT? Did they miss school that day?


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Posted by jscottsch at 04:24 PM : Jun 16, 2008

AMEN! Uncap and drill and let''s get this puppy on the road!

It''s going to take WHAT? 10 years to get rid of all these damned SUV''s and gas hogs, before these twits can get out affordable alternative fueled vehicles!

Let''s get our own oil pumping and get the supply back up!

What kind of whack jobs do we have up there?
Reply to this comment
by cinnapatch June 16, 2008 8:33 PM EDT
I agree those are great ideas! Of course I would like to see Obama do it!
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