U.S. Reps. Alan Mollohan, D-1st, and Nick Rahall, D-3rd, helped pass the "Comprehensive American Energy Security and Consumer Protection Act" late Tuesday.
Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-2nd, opposed the measure, which prevailed 236-189 on a largely party-line vote.
Among other provisions, the bill would "open waters off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts to oil and gas drilling but only 50 or more miles out to sea and only if a state agrees to energy development off its shore," The Associated Press reports.
"Republicans called the drilling measure a ruse to provide political cover to Democrats feeling pressure to support more drilling at a time of high gas prices," AP said.
The legislation also includes "tax credits for wind and solar energy industries," alternative source requirements for utilities, and a gradual rollback of $18 billion worth of tax breaks for the five largest oil companies, the article said.
It also contains a gift ban and ethical rules in response "to a recent sex and drug scandal involving the federal office that oversees the offshore oil royalty program,"AP reports, and would "require energy companies to pay billions of dollars in royalties they avoided because of an Interior Department contracting error."
Capito had been part of an informal, bipartisan working group that worked over the summer on energy legislation. She joined all but one of its identified Republicans to vote against Tuesday's bill.
That member, Rep. Robin Hayes, R-N.C., voted with all but one of the group's identified Democrats in favor of the bill, including co-chairman Neil Abercrombie of Hawaii. The remaining Democrat, Rep. Nick Lampson of Texas, did not vote.
Capito called the bill "misguided" and a "partisan ploy" in a press release. Her Democratic challenger, Anne Barth, alleged that Capito had sided with "Big Oil" and "against lowering gas prices and against West Virginia coal."
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee issued a similar attack.
Update: MetroNews Talkine asks Capito and Rahall about the bill and Tuesday's vote. With audio.
17 September 2008
They Voted For You: Energy (Updated)
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Wouldn't it make sense to open up drilling where the oil actually is? Not if your only goal is to score political points and you had no intention of actually allowing increased oil production in this country.
You only have to look at Anne Barth's comment to realize that the bill was not intended to allow increased exploration. If the bill were designed to provide for increased exploration, how would voting against it be siding with "Big Oil?"
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