Review-Journal: Porter Tries to Force House Vote on Offshore Drilling
July 30, 2008
WASHINGTON — Rep. Jon Porter, R-Nev., filed a petition in Congress this morning seeking to force the House to vote on a Republican bill to end a moratorium on offshore oil drilling.
Porter’s action was the newest GOP strategy to pressure Democrats on offshore drilling. A partisan battle that has roared on Capitol Hill for more than a week has Congress at a virtual standstill on responding to $4 a gallon gasoline.
The Nevadan filed a “discharge petition,” in support of H.R. 6108, that would give states the ability to allow drilling off their coasts, and to open areas beyond 100 miles offshore to federal leasing.
The “Deep Ocean Energy Resources Act” introduced on May 21 by Rep. Sue Myrick, R-N.C., has 101 cosponsors, all Republicans.
Discharge petitions are a tool to force action on bills that are buried in committee. Under House rules, if 218 lawmakers sign the petition, it is “discharged” from committee and can be brought to the House floor for votes.
The Myrick bill was referred to three House committees, where there has been no action as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has made it clear she opposes opening new areas to oil drilling.
Most Democrats say opening new areas to offshore oil drilling is not the answer to the spike in gasoline prices, while it could increase the risk of spills and other environmental problems. It would be at least several years before new supplies could be brought to market, they say, with no guarantee that prices would drop.
While they are often used to generate publicity for a buried bill, discharge petitions rarely succeed. Between 1931 and 2003, there were 563 discharge petitions filed and only 47 gathered the required signatures, according to a 2003 study by the Congressional Research Service.
