Today in Washington D. C. - Sept 9, 2008

On The Floor: Yesterday the Congress returned from its August recess. The Senate voted 83-0 to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to the Defense bill. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell addressed the Senate on the energy crisis:

“We still have a few more weeks to do right by the American people. . . . Congress has been unable to come together on a comprehensive solution to our nation’s energy crisis. But the book hasn’t closed yet on the 110th Congress. There is still time to act on this issue. And we should. . . . Americans want us to act to increase offshore exploration. There is nothing to fear in this. We can and should increase domestic energy exploration even as we encourage the use of alternative energy sources and new conservation measures. There is no good reason we can’t all get behind a balanced approach that would allow us to find more and use less at the same time.”

From News Sources: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said that the Senate could consider energy legislation next week, but, just like earlier in the summer, he appears determined to limit debate and amendments on a critical issue to the American people. Today, CongressDaily reports that Democrats are working on putting together an energy bill that includes some expansion of offshore drilling. However, Democrats continue to attempt to couple proposals to produce more American energy with previously rejected Democrat mandates and tax increases. The proposal being floated is rather modest, limiting drilling to just four southeastern states, and not even addressing the West Coast, where a recent poll found 51% of Californians now supporting more offshore drilling.

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