Ban on Off-Shore Drilling Upheld

The House voted late yesterday on whether or not to continue the ban on off-shore drilling for natural gas/oil. From AP:

The House late Thursday rejected an attempt to end the quarter-century ban on oil and natural gas drilling that has been in effect for 85 percent of the country's coastal waters from Alaska to New England despite arguments that new supplies are needed to lower energy costs.

The fight to open the waters off both coasts and the eastern Gulf of Mexico to energy companies - at least for natural gas - was led by Rep. John Peterson, R-Pa.

The vote on Peterson's measure broke primarily on geographic lines, not party lines, with representatives of coastal regions wishing to uphold the ban while representatives of interior states leaned toward lifting the ban.

So Congress has no desire to produce more energy domestically, yet it continues to rail against the oil industry for the current upward trends in energy costs. Where's the plan, guys? Shooting down every serious attempt to gain some energy independence for the U.S. does not qualify as one. Sorry.