Oregon and national election and politics news from The Oregonian
By Michelle Cole, The Oregonian
February 08, 2010, 4:20PM
Supporters, including the Oregon League of Conservation Voters and the state’s crab, salmon and trawl commissions, said a moratorium will signal to the federal government that Oregon’s coast should be off limits for drilling.
SALEM, Ore. (AP) – The Oregon House has voted to extend a ban on drilling for oil and gas off Oregon’s coast for the next decade.
The vote Monday was 38-21. The bill goes to the Senate.
A state moratorium on drilling expired in January. The state has regulatory power to three miles out. Beyond that, the federal government is in charge of drilling regulation.
Backers of the bill say there are no plans for drilling, but the state should take precautions to protect the beauty of the coastline and its fishing economies.
Sport and commercial fishing groups supported a permanent ban on drilling. But some legislators wanted a briefer moratorium, and they worked out a compromise for a 10-year extension.
State officials first adopted a drilling moratorium in the 1990s and lawmakers readopted a three-year ban in 2007. But that expired on Jan. 2 of this year.
After more than a half hour’s debate, the House voted 38-21 in support of House Bill 3613, which would extend the drilling ban for another 10 years. The vote moves the bill on to the Senate for consideration.
“Oregonians are not willing to risk our off-shore resources for a few days of energy,” argued Rep. Ben Cannon, D-Portland.
But others questioned whether 10 years is too long to lock up a resource Oregon might need.
Rep. Wayne Krieger, R-Gold Beach, said rapidly evolving technology may make it possible to extract oil and gas without harming the environment. Krieger asked: “How can you create jobs without using natural resources in our rural communities?”
Environmental and fishing industry groups, often adversaries on public policy issues, teamed up in favor of seeing the ban renewed during this month’s special session. The original version of the bill called for a permanent ban but a compromise was struck shortening it to 10 years.
No one expects oil companies are planning to begin drilling anytime soon. Yet the idea does come up. Two years ago, with gas prices topping $4 a gallon, some in Congress called for the nation to tap its off-shore reserves.
Brian Doherty, lobbyist for the Western States Petroleum Association, testified in committee that the are no proven commercial quantities of oil or natural gas in Oregon’s territorial sea. But his group opposed a permanent ban.
Special thanks to Richard Charter