House Approves Offshore-Drilling Package

Good news for Democrats—and, possibly, the Gulf region: On Friday afternoon, the House approved, 209-193, a package of offshore-drilling reforms. The legislation represents the largest overhaul of the oil industry in decades and provides talking points for the Democratic Party going into the August recess. “These are the types of votes that make strong commercials,” a Democratic strategist told Politico. Still, not everyone’s pleased with the outcome. Blue Dog Democrats, as well as Republicans and oil-industry lobbyists, say the package is too big, going far beyond just addressing safety lapses. “This bill is being sold as the response to the ongoing Gulf oil crisis,” said Doc Hastings, the ranking Republican on the House Natural Resources Committee. “Yet what has not been mentioned until right now is that it is stuffed with page after page of provisions that are totally unrelated to the spill.”