‘Gang’ of House members to push for drilling

The House is going to have its own “gang” of Republicans and Democrats who want to push for more drilling to relieve gas prices.

The Democrats in the group, led by Rep. Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii), will be bucking Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who earlier Thursday called efforts to open up new areas to drilling “a hoax.”

{mosads}Abercrombie announced late Thursday that he and Rep. John Peterson (R-Pa.), one of the loudest voices for more drilling, will form a bipartisan working group to discuss energy issues.

In an interview this week about his work with Peterson, Abercrombie said the Democratic message on energy is not working.

“Simply standing up and saying, you can’t drill your way out of this doesn’t work,” Abercrombie said. “The people are standing up and saying, ‘Yes, we can.’”

There are to be 20 members of the working group – 10 Democrats and 10 Republicans. The members will be announced Tuesday.

“In order for us to remain competitive and rescue ourselves from a second ‘great depression’, Washington needs to put the politics aside and address the crisis,” Peterson said in a statement announcing the working group.

Peterson and Abercrombie are already co-sponsors of a bill that would remove restrictions on offshore natural gas drilling. The royalty money would go to the states, the federal treasury, and to renewable energy and environmental programs. The bill has 170 co-sponsors, and Abercrombie spokesman Dave Helfert said it would be part of the group’s effort.

The goal would be to produce legislation that can pass this year, Helfert said.

As gas prices have shot above $4 a gallon, Republicans and the oil industry have maintained that the best course of action is to open new areas to drilling. And the public seems to agree, as polls show increasing support for more production and less concern about environmental consequences.

House Democratic leaders have rejected that idea, saying opening protected areas to drilling will do nothing to lower prices anytime soon. Instead, they’re pushing energy companies to produce from more of the federal lands that are already open.

They announced a new package of legislation Thursday that would push for more drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and require the oil to be sold in the United States. It would also push for completion of Alaskan oil and gas pipelines.

Some Senate leaders have said they are more open than Pelosi to opening up new areas for drilling. And a bipartisan group of 10 senators is trying to bring bipartisanship to the debate, hoping to re-create the success of the “Gang of 14” on judicial nominations in 2005.