Kratovil, Harris disagree on offshore drilling

Appearing as a guest on the Delmarva Today radio show June 13, State's Attorney Frank Kratovil (D-Stevensville), a Democrat running in the 1st Congressional District, expressed his opposition to lifting a federal ban on offshore oil drilling, calling instead for the country to use "what we have now."

Today, Kratovil Communications Director Erik Gulbrandsen told PolitickerMD.com that Kratovil supports two pieces of recently introduced congressional legislation, the Responsible Ownership of Public Lands Act and the Responsible Federal Oil and Gas Lease Act of 2008, which, according to House Democrats, would "compel oil companies to utilize the 68 million acres onshore and offshore that are being leased by big oil companies, but not used to produce energy."

The Responsible Ownership of Public Lands Act would impose fees on land energy companies have leased but are not using for production, while The Responsible Federal Oil and Gas Lease Act of 2008 would ban oil and gas companies from obtaining additional leases unless they demonstrate that they are producing oil and gas, or develop the leases they already hold.

State Sen. Andy Harris (R-Cockeysville), Kratovil's opponent, supports offshore drilling.

"For too long countries who would wish us harm have forced us to pay for expensive oil," Harris' campaign manager, Chris Meekins, told PolitickerMD.com.

"High oil prices have an effect on every faction of the economy," Meekins added, referring to the high cost of gas and food.

Meekins also reaffirmed Harris' support for drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), which Kratovil opposes.

"Andy's position is very clear," Meekins said. "We can drill responsibly."

"The reality of ANWR is the benefits do not outweigh the costs," Gulbrandsen said, referring to the environmental effects that drilling in ANWR could cause.

The topic of offshore drilling has intensified in recent days, as President Bush and U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, have reversed previous positions and now support lifting the ban, while U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), the presumptive Democratic nominee, opposes a lift on the ban.

Yesterday, state Republicans assailed Kratovil for his opposition to both domestic drilling and a gas tax holiday.

In another issue that has reached the presidential campaign, Kratovil said during his radio interview that he agreed with Obama's position on the issue, calling the gas tax holiday a "short-term answer" and a "ploy to play to people's concerns."

Harris had called for a one-day legislative special session in April with the hopes of suspending the gas tax from Memorial Day through Labor Day; similar to a position McCain took.

 Kratovil, for his part, has called for the expansion of alternative energy methods like hybrid vehicles and public transportation, while also saying fuel efficiency standards needed to be raised.

"Mr. Kratovil should remember that he is running for Congress in Maryland's rural Eastern Shore and not the DC suburbs where he was raised," GOP Chairman Jim Pelura said in a statement. "Voters on the Eastern Shore and other parts of Maryland are tired of their gas tax money going to fund mass transit in the Washington suburbs."

Gulbrandsen called that statement "a big stretch."

While acknowledging that developing mass transit is not a priority on the Eastern Shore, Gulbrandsen said: "Half the district is on the Western Shore."

"There are plenty of people in Dr. Harris' hometown of Cockeysville who use mass transit to get to work in Baltimore," Gulbrandsen said.