Despite Pelosi Flip-Flop on Drilling Vote, GOP Energy Revolt Continues
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) this week might have softened her opposition to an offshore drilling vote, but GOP leaders want to see some proof of sincerity. From a Tuesday statement from House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio):
If you meant what you said last night, we welcome you and your Democratic colleagues to join us in our historic call to action on American energy. End your five-week break early and call Congress back into session now so we can vote for more American-made energy and lower gas prices without any further delay.
Republicans are pushing for a vote on their own energy bill -- the American Energy Act -- which would remove the congressional moratorium on new offshore drilling and open protected areas of Alaska for exploration. Democrats, however, will want to place more emphasis on the development of renewable fuels and other party priorities, some of which are hardly popular with the oil industry. That could include controversial "use it or lose it" language, The Hill reported last night, which pushes oil companies to produce more quickly on leased lands or lose those leases.
With more than three weeks remaining in Congress's vacation, there's plenty of time left for jockeying. What happens in September, at this point, is anyone's guess. But you can bet that environmentalists are more than a bit nervous about how this saga ends. After all, Democrats have a record this year of caving on issues dear to the hearts of liberal voters.
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