CNSNews.com - Democrat Leader Raises Specter of Government Shutdown over Oil Drilling

CNSNews.com

Democrat Leader Raises Specter of Government Shutdown over Oil Drilling
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
By Terence P. Jeffrey, Editor-in-Chief

Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.), chairman of the House Democratic Caucus

(CNSNews.com) - The chairman of the House Democratic Caucus said Tuesday that House Republican Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) would be the “author” of a government shutdown if President Bush followed Blunt’s advice and vetoed any bill extending the federal moratoria on new offshore oil drilling and shale-oil development. The moratoria are currently set to expire on Sept. 30.

“If Mr. Blunt’s recommendation to the president is for a veto to force that, he’d be the author of the shutdown of the government,” Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.), chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, said at a House Democratic leadership press conference attended by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.).

For more than two decades, each year’s Interior Department appropriation has included language banning the sale of new offshore oil-drilling leases, effectively preventing the development of recoverable oil resources on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf that the department estimates equal 85.9 billion barrels.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.)

This year’s Interior appropriation also bans issuing final regulations for the sale of leases to develop U.S. oil-shale lands, effectively imposing a moratorium on selling those leases. The Energy Department estimates that U.S. oil-shale lands hold about 800 billion barrels of recoverable oil, more than three times the oil in Saudi Arabia’s known reserves.

The two moratoria expire on Sept. 30, when the appropriation law carrying them expires.

If President Bush does not sign a new law by Sept. 30, extending the moratoria past that date, it will be legal for the administration to begin selling offshore-drilling and shale-oil development leases on Oct. 1.

If Congress rolls most fiscal 2009 appropriations bills into a single massive continuing resolution and includes the offshore drilling and shale-oil development moratoria in that continuing resolution, President Bush would be faced with a choice of either vetoing most government operating funds for fiscal 2009 or allowing the oil development moratoria to go through for another year.

Emanuel seemed to be envisioning such a scenario when he said that Blunt would be the “author” of a government shutdown if Bush vetoed the oil development moratoria.

There is nothing that prevents Congress from trying to extend the oil development moratoria by passing them in a free-standing law, but in that case President Bush could terminate the moratoria with a veto and not shutdown the government.

Congress could also include the moratoria in a free-standing Interior Department appropriation bill, in which case President Bush could terminate the moratoria while triggering a shutdown of Interior Department spending only.

Congress would remain free after any presidential veto of a moratoria-carrying appropriations bill — whether it was for multiple departments or just one department — to strip the bill of the moratoria and send it back to the president for his signature.

In an Aug. 7 interview with CNSNews.com, Blunt said he would advise President Bush to veto any bill that includes the drilling moratoria.

"So, if a bill passes Congress that has that moratorium, your belief is President Bush, your advice to him is: Mr. President, veto that bill?" Blunt was asked.

"That's right," said Blunt. "And my advice to him today would be to start the process up right now for what we do on Oct. 1 when this moratorium is ended and move forward assuming that there will be no moratorium after September the 30th."

"You would tell him to instruct those people in the Interior Department, who are responsible for administering these leases for the offshore oil and the shale oil, to begin the process of getting ready so that on Oct. 1 he can sell a lease?" CNSNews.com asked.

"I would," said Blunt.

"And you would go ahead and sell those leases? You would say: 'Let's do it. Let's move ahead'?" CNSNews.com asked.

"Well, after Oct. 1 when there is no moratorium," said Blunt. "The studies are there. The resource is there. We know you can safely go after it. The American people are hurting. We need to do whatever is necessary."

At Tuesday’s press conference, Pelosi indicated that she would not have the votes to override if President Bush vetoed a bill extending the moratoria. “Of course not,” she said.

On Aug. 20, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) expressed his opposition to extending the oil development moratoria but was reluctant to repeat Blunt’s suggestion that the president should veto any bill extending the oil development moratoria.

“Those moratoriums end on September 30,” Boehner said at a press conference that day. “There is no reason for them to be extended. The American people will not support those moratoriums in the future, and I am hopeful that legislation in the House will not contain them. I think the focus ought to be on Congress preventing it from occurring.”

When CNSNews.com asked Boehner after the press conference if he was going to call on President Bush to veto any bill that includes an extension of the moratoria, he took a wait-and-see position. “We’ll wait to see whether it happens and whether Congress will actually pass it,” Boehner said. “We’re a long way off from that, and we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”

Congressional Democrats are introducing a “comprehensive energy” bill this week that could form a foundation from which Republicans and Democrats could negotiate a deal on oil-drilling and other energy-related issues.

Blunt immediately criticized the bill the Democrats were preparing, saying it “would permanently put 80 percent of our offshore resources under lock and key.”

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Granny in Georgia (1 years ago)

The dems are not sincere in trying to help Americans in this energy crisis! They are still playing politics. I would suggest Nancy Pelosi has a conflict of interest since she, and her husband, have invested a very large sum of money with Boone Pickens. If the dems were to shut down the government, over energy, it would put the final nail in Obama's campaign. Are they that stupid?

jamalagrin (1 years ago)

The best thing that could happen to hard working Americans is for Congress to shut down. They cannot pass any regulations to further strap Americans with goofy rules, and they cannot further dip into our wallets and pocketbooks if they are shut down. Drilling for our own oil and becoming free from dependence on Middle East oil is paramount, if we do not want to be subject to the whims of terrorist nations who want to kill us and bring our nation down. If this means standing up to liberal Democrats and risking shutting the government down, it is worth the risk, considering the stakes we face if we do not drill for our energy sources. This Congress is risking America's survival by refusing to drill for oil and refusing to ease restrictions on building new refineries and nuclear power plants.

Bald_Eagle (1 years ago)

The liberal congress has caused Americans pain and suffering too long already! Someone needs to start a national petition, not just to end this stalling on drilling for oil in the offshore areas of the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean, but also to get rid of the liberal politicians who are constantly blocking all efforts to give relief from exhorbitant gas prices which must be purchased from people who hate us and want to destroy us. THROW PELOSI,REID AND THE REST OF THE BUMS OUT!!

hpyost (1 years ago)

Maybe if the goverment is shut down the American people will get the picture the Democrats in Congress are the problem. It is also obvious the Democrats in Congress are beholden to OPEC. The voters have the power to change out the entire House of Representatives and 1/3 of the Senate every two years. Will we be smart enough to do it? Harry Y.

PDC (1 years ago)

SSedition (1 years ago)

I like the idea of a "shut down" government. I think of all the money that will not be wasted, and the morning after, people will realize that the sun still rises without government oversight.

jamalagrin (1 years ago)

Shutting down the Government may be the best thing that can happen to the vast majority of Americans, in that the Democrat led Congress cannot pass any ridiculous regulations, and cannot reach into our pockets for our hard earned money while they are shut down. Besides, it is way past time to drill for our own oil when foreign nations are doing just that, and right off of our coasts. It is ridiculous to not drill for the oil that we have in ample supplies right under our ground and off of our coasts. If we continue to follow the advice of liberal Democrats and the far left wackoes in this country, our nation will be doomed. Enough of this folly and lets stick it to the Democrat led Congress to do the right thing, and force them into finally drilling for our energy needs while we look for alternative sources. To continue to be dependent on Middle East oil is suicide. They hate our guts and are trying to kill us economically, militarily, and otherwise.

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