...But Republicans Skeptical. By Ian Talley, WSJournal, August 18, 2008, subscription. "Nancy Pelosi's proposal... to make expanded offshore drilling part of a new Democratic energy bill got a skeptical reaction from Republicans, who said they suspect it will contain other provisions unacceptable to the minority. The result may be that Congress remains deadlocked on the potent election issue. Ms. Pelosi's proposal is the clearest sign yet that Democratic Congressional leaders are tacking away from earlier strong opposition to expanded offshore oil production, in the face of opinion polls that indicate many voters favor the 'drill more' stand adopted by... John McCain and others in his party. According to people familiar... [Pelosi's] plan borrows from a bipartisan plan proposed by a 'Gang of 10' senators -- five from each party -- that allows several East Coast states to opt into drilling off their shores. It doesn't allow drilling off California or the eastern coast of Florida... Just a few weeks ago, [Pelosi] said Republican calls for a vote just on drilling was 'a hoax on the American people.' Discussions over the package are continuing... The most troubling provision for the GOP is the proposed repeal of tax breaks to oil companies, such as the manufacturing and foreign-earned income credits. Republican leadership... Sen. John McCain... and President... Bush have made clear the tax issue is a deal-breaker."
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment