Congresswoman Thelma Drake and Congressman Joe Wilson of South Carolina called Nancy Pelosi’s oil drilling bill “a hoax” today on the eve of a likely vote on the quickie legislation from the Democrats. Pelosi’s bill will likely come to the House floor Tuesday, with no committee work and possibly no amendments allowed (we’ll know more later today).
Pelosi’s bill ignores the military and expects coastal states to opt in while the federal government gets all the money.
Sen. Frank Wagner said Pelosi’s bill not only robs Virginia of vast revenues from leasing and sends it to Washington, DC – that means ZERO money for transportation, which is what it could be used for. “That’s 3 trillion dollars she’s willing to walk away from,” said Wagner. He also criticized Pelosi’s bill for its narrow focus on just drilling oil.
Thelma Drake’s bipartisan bill is comprehensive and gives the states, especially Virginia, a say in where the drilling is allowed and a share of the revenue. She wonders how Glenn Nye would vote, since he’s been both for and against drilling for oil.
In May, Nye said “I do not believe that drilling off the coast of Virginia is good policy” and in July he suddenly proclaimed, “I strongly support drilling domestically.” Whatever….
Maybe he’d like to be like Obama and vote “Present.”