Earth Equity News

Graham's Push for Offshore-Drilling Provisions in Climate Bill Could Undermine Support of Kerry-Boxer Bill. By Ben Geman, Climatewire, October 9, 2009. "Graham believes Kerry should look to drilling provisions endorsed by the bipartisan 'Gang of 10' -- which later grew to 20 -- last year. Graham was a member of the gang, which floated a plan that would blend new drilling with major new investments in renewable energy and advanced vehicles... [However,] adding wider offshore drilling could push several Democrats away from supporting the cap-and-trade bill. 'They may think drilling sweetens the pot for some, but it sours the pot for others,' said Athan Manuel of the Sierra Club, which opposes widening outer continental shelf leasing... A major energy bill the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee approved in June would scale back the no-leasing area in the eastern Gulf of Mexico by allowing development as close as 45 miles from Florida's gulf shores and closer in a region called the Destin Dome. The drilling provision... provision prompted Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) to vow a filibuster if it remains part of Senate energy and climate plans. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) is another Democrat who opposes offshore drilling and criticized its inclusion in the Senate bill. Menendez wants leasing permanently banned between North Carolina and Maine. Adding even more new drilling to Senate proposals could prompt several Democrats to drop support from an energy and climate package, said one petroleum industry lobbyist. 'I don't know what the net gain is here,' this lobbyist said."