oil

Lost in all the chaotic development surrounding the current crisis in U.S. financial markets was the following: The leadership of the U.S. House of Representatives, which includes their chief fundraiser Chris Van Hollen (D-MD8), has just collapsed on the issue of offshore oil drilling. Bowing to White House demands, they have agreed to let the ban on offshore oil drilling, in place since the early 1980’s, expire.

The Democrat-controlled House of Representatives has announced that their hastily assembled energy bill, to be voted on by the end of this week, will drop the long-standing ban on offshore oil drilling. This "compromise" will theoretically allow renewable energy development to be funded, in part, by royalties from the increased drilling. If that sounds crazy, it’s because it is. This policy reversal for the Democrats is a major setback in the fight against catastrophic climate change.

In 2006, President Bush observed that our nation is "addicted to oil." Now, in 2008, my opponent Rep. Van Hollen is arguing with the president about where we should get our next fix.