Wyden and Merkley: No Drilling!
10 Dems warn Kerry: Don’t expand offshore drilling in climate change bill
By Ben Geman, The Hill, 03/25/10 [here]
Ten coastal state Senate Democrats say they’ll oppose a climate bill if it greatly expands offshore oil and gas drilling.
The warning was issued to Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and the two other architects of upcoming energy and climate legislation. …
Wider drilling is part of the compromise bill that Kerry and Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) are drafting and hope to bring to the Senate floor this year.
The coastal Democrats, in a letter to the three this week, laud the effort to write a climate bill, noting their states are at risk from sea level rise, but say a major expansion of offshore drilling will cause them to drop their support.
The letter is signed by Democratic Sens. Bill Nelson (Fla.), Robert Menendez (N.J.), Sheldon Whitehouse (R.I.), Barbara Mikulski (Md.), Ben Cardin (Md.), Frank Lautenberg (N.J.), Ted Kaufman (Del.), Ron Wyden (Ore.), Jeff Merkley (Ore.) and Jack Reed (R.I.). … [more]