Congress considers bill for US offshore gas drilling
Feb. 17, 2006
Virginia's senators introduced legislation in Congress giving states the option to drill for natural gas.
Offshore staff
(US) - Virginia's senators introduced legislation in Congress giving states the option to drill for natural gas.
The bill would give governors of coastal states the choice to opt out of a federal moratorium that currently prohibits offshore drilling in most US coastal waters.
The new legislation comes one week after the Bush administration signaled its support for such proposals by calling for a study of potential gas and oil development in Virginia waters.
The new legislation is limited to lifting the ban on natural gas drilling; it keeps in place a federal ban on offshore drilling for oil.
Oil drilling is often considered a greater environmental risk than gas drilling, although environmental concerns have been expressed to both by the public and by activists.
As the price of natural gas has escalated to record high levels, Congress has been considering various proposals to lift the federal moratorium.
