Yesterday, I wrote a blog item about how radical environmentalists and lawyers are conspiring to ruin "Energy Freedom Day," which is supposed to take place October 1 when the moratorium on development and exploration of the outercontinental shelf (OCS) and oil shale recovery expires. House Democrats, if you recall, gave up on extending the ban, and I wrote that radical groups are currently using legal means to stop production in areas where leases have recently been awarded by the government. Pro-energy groups are surmising the radical enviros will use this same strategy to block drilling in the new areas that have been "freed" by the ban.
But just as House Democrat leaders were left red-faced by their attempts to sneak a provision in a big-spending bill that would have permanently banned drilling in these areas, it looks like Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) is trying the same stunt over in the Senate. His effort would reinstate the ban on oil shale energy production for the coming year. Here is the text of the provision:
"SEC. 1602. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, including section 152 of division A of H.R. 2638 (110th Congress), the Consolidated Security, Disaster Assistance, and Continuing Appropriations Act, 2009, the terms and conditions contained in section 433 of division F of Public Law 110–161 shall remain in effect for the 19 fiscal year ending September 30, 2009."
The word is out -- and my guess is that this will go down, taking with it Senator Reid's popularity as well.
Karen Kerrigan
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