House bid to expand OCS drilling defeated

An amendment supported by U.S. Rep. Charles “Charlie” Melancon, D-Napoleonville, to the Interior-Environment FY08 Appropriations bill would have expanded offshore drilling on the outer continental shelf, but failed to pass.

Currently, a Congressional ban restricts domestic oil companies from drilling within 125 miles of the coast. The amendment would have reduced the ban to 25 miles.

“The best place to find natural gas is in that first 25 miles. And if you don’t want to see an oil rig, the horizon is a maximum of 15 miles. So, at least let us put up oilrigs 15 miles. They [oil and gas companies] can probably gain 5 to 10 miles back by direction drilling. And we can produce a hell of a lot of natural gas and probably a lot of oil,” said Melancon.

He said the United States is probably the only country in this world that restricts offshore production of oil and gas, while 45-miles south of Key West, China and Cuba are in a joint venture.

“Now, tell me that they’re not taking any of our oil and gas,” the congressman said. “We won’t let our own companies drill in our own waters.”

Melancon said opponents of the amendment have a love/hate relationship with energy production. They love to have it, but despise the companies that produce it.

And in a speech delivered in the House, the Louisiana congressman explained the environmental impact of offshore drilling is not nearly as bad as it used to be, because of federal regulations and technological improvements.

“I respect tremendously my colleagues that have the fear of environmental concerns. That is something that I share with you, but I have seen these oil companies. I have seen them in the past when they were awful. I have seen them today when they do an excellent job. The technology gets better by the day,” said Melancon. “The oil spills, the last oil spills that were of any consequences were done by ships hauling oil in from the Middle East, Venezuela, and other locations. It wasn’t by oil rigs offshore.”

Melancon has concerns about the nation’s current energy dependence.

“We’re going to run into the day that these people that are growing not to like us in the world are going to wake up and say, ‘We don’t really need their money. We’re not going to send them the energy they’re looking for and we’ll cripple them.’ And they will,” Melancon explained.

And his concerns do not stop at energy. The congressman said two years ago, the country imported more food than it exported for the first time in its history.

He also noted the country is exporting a record number of manufacturing jobs and factories. He compared today to the World War II era, when the country was able to manufacture whatever it needed independent of foreign countries.

“Those things worry me,” Melancon said. “And the only way we’re going to get back to being energy independent is to do like every country in this world and get out there and produce, just don’t do it on the land.”