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News and Views |
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House
OKs Stopgap Spending Bill that Ends Offshore Oil Drilling Ban, Allows Oil Shale
Exploration The
legislation passed Wednesday will fund most of the federal government at Fiscal
Year 2008 levels through March 6, 2009. It includes new fiscal year funding for
the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security and the Veterans
Administration. It also provides $22.6 billion in disaster relief funds for
states ravaged by hurricanes and fires. As
the lead Republican member of the House Appropriations Committee, Lewis said he
was extremely disappointed that the House was unable to finish the 13
appropriations bills for Fiscal Year 2009, but was gratified that the House
finally agreed to help “Had
we dealt with the OCS moratorium and oil shale in full committee in June, we
would have completed all of our bills by now,” Lewis told his colleagues
Wednesday. “It is now late September and, finally, the voices of millions of
Americans—financially drained from paying for four-dollar gas—are being
heard. (This legislation) represents a giant step toward securing Lewis
has insisted throughout the year that it was the responsibility of the
Appropriations Committee to end the bans on offshore drilling and oil shale
exploration, since they have been included in the annual spending measures. The
Interior Department may now move forward on a process that will protect the
nation’s environment while allowing for development of new resources that
could substantially reduce the dependence on foreign oil, Lewis said. “While
it is true that it will take years for these resources to be fully developed, I
am convinced that the fact that The
spending measure is set to go to the Senate for approval later this week. It
must be in place by September 30 to continue the operation of the federal
government in the new fiscal year, Lewis said. Click Here to Return to News & Views
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