The question is not one of lack of trust of President Bush, but the obvious need to implement the announced delays into law in a manner which would be respected by any future Administration between now and the year 2000.
At the present moment, all we have is a sixteen page press release from the White House explaining the proposed delays, unaccompanied by even a Federal Register notice. What is needed is to place the announced Presidential delays into a law passed by Congress and signed by the President. The logical vehicle of choice for this legal codification, and the most certain legislation to be completed during the present session of Congress, is the Interior Appropriations Bill for fiscal year 1991.
Trouble in the Subcommittee on Interior Appropriations meeting
With the assistance of delegation members from each of the states affected by the President's OCS delays, an amendment was prepared for the Interior Appropriations Bill which would simply legislatively codify the Bush proposals into law, and this was presented to the House Subcommittee on Interior Appropriations on July 24.
There was no indication of trouble going into the meeting - over the years this generally has been a subcommittee which has not only been friendly to the OCS Moratorium issue, but in fact is where the Moratorium always originates. However, the Subcommittee moved to close their deliberations to the public and meet in closed session.
As the Subcommittee took up the OCS issue in closed session, codification of the Bush OCS proposal became a contentious item. Before Rep. Bill Lowery (R-San Diego) could offer the amendment, Rep. Ralph Regula objected, saying the matter should be brought before the full House Appropriations committee. Much to everyone's surprise, Chairman Yates (D-Chicago) also expressed reservations over the inclusion of multi-year legislation on a one-year appropriations bill (something which is commonly done). Regula, who has historically led yearly opposition to the OCS Moratorium, proposed a different amendment, which included a much more complicated and circuitous way of implementing the President's delays, and contained undesirable provisions going beyond the President's delays.
Ultimately, the Subcommittee voted five to four to defer consideration of any amendment until the bill comes before the full House Appropriations Committee in September following the August congressional recess.
Challenge faced with the Full Appropriations Committee
Implementation of the President's delays is of extremely high priority to all the affected states adjoining the applicable OCS Planning Areas. But the full Appropriations Committee is a forum in which we, in past years, have generally entered with the language we want already included in the bill. Even then we frequently survive an "amendment to strike" by one vote. This year the stakes are higher because we are talking, not about a one year Moratorium, but a six to ten year Moratorium. Even though the delays were proposed by the President, the provision will be controversial.
For our efforts to succeed, we will need to mount a very thorough and effective lobbying effort on the swing votes on the full Committee, as well as recapture the support of Subcommittee Chairman Yates, who continues to give mixed signals about where he stands on this issue.
Success at getting the President's delays into law has to be our very highest legislative priority. It must happen during the present legislative session.
There is also more at stake in the Appropriations bill this year. The Subcommittee did approve a one-year OCS Moratorium for Sale #137 off of northwest Florida, the Mid-Atlantic OCS Planning Area out to 50 miles from shore, and a continuation of the one-year Moratorium on exploration in Alaska's Bristol Bay. All of these one-year provisions must also be defended in the full House Committee.
1. Write Sidney Yates, Chairman, Subcommittee on Interior Appropriations, B-308 RHOB, Washington, DC 205-1-6023. Thank him for past support and ask him to support the Lawery amendment implementing the Presidents proposed delays in OCS Leasing.
2. Contact your own congressional delegation, including Housemembers and Senators, and ask them to work hard on this issue.
3. Contact the swing vote members of the House Appropriations Commitee, and ask them to support the amendment:
All c/o Washington, DC 20525
Rep. Jamie Whitten, 2314 RHOB; Rep. Neal Smith, 2373 RHOB; Rep. Bill Alexander, 233 CHOB; Rep. John Murtha, 2423 RHOB; Rep. Bob Traxler, 2366 RHOB, Rep. Bill Hefner, 2161 RHOB; Rep. Louis Stokes, 2365 RHOB; Rep. William Gray, 204 CHOB; Rep. Steny Hoyer, 1513 LHOB, Rep. Bob Carr, 2439 RHOB; Re. Richard Durbin, 417 CHOB; Rep. Alan Mollohan,437 CHOB; Rep. Silvio Conte, 2300 RHOB; Rep. Lawrence Coughlin, 2467 RHOB; Rep., Carl Pursell, 1414 LHOB; Rep. Bill Green, 1110 LHOB; Rep. Jerry Lewis, 326 CHOB; Rep. John Porter, 1501 LHOB; Rep. Frank Wolf, 104 CHOB; Rep. Vin Weber, 106 CHOB; Rep. Dean Gailo, 1318 LHOB.
Copyright Mendocino Environmental Center 2004
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