"House Offers More Cash for Offshore Fuels"

[GreenPartyVoter]

WASHINGTON (AP) - With states being enticed by billions of dollars in potential oil and gas royalties, the House planned another push Thursday to end a drilling ban enacted a quarter-century ago on most of the country's offshore waters.

The vote, expected to be close, comes six weeks after a measure that would have allowed natural gas development in all coastal waters fell a handful of votes short of being approved.

This time, the bill would keep the ban in place within 50 miles of shore and allow states to continue the federal drilling moratorium up to 100 miles off shore if they act to do so every five years.

The bill also would revamp the revenue-sharing agreement with the states, so that they potentially would reap billions of dollars in future oil and gas royalties if they accepted drilling. Four Gulf Coast states that already have oil rigs off shore also would reap billions of additional dollars.

http://apnews1.iwon.com/article/20060629/D8IHVB6O0.html

[pooja]

1. When the oil execs send me my check for ruining the environment

then maybe I would consider... not!!! Besides, it will never come directly into my pocket.