House Democrats to Let Ban on Drilling Expire

From The Washington Post:

Congressional Democrats bowed to political pressure yesterday and agreed to let the ban on offshore oil drilling expire, a decision that would allow exploration just three miles off the Atlantic and Pacific coastlines unless the next president reinstates an executive branch order that prohibits drilling.

Drilling in the eastern Gulf of Mexico will remain prohibited within 125 miles of the shore under a separate provision in the 2006 energy bill.

The Democratic reversal on drilling came as the Senate voted overwhelmingly to approve a $100 billion extension of tax breaks, including incentives for renewable energy sources and the annual patch that will prevent millions of households from receiving higher tax bills under the alternative minimum tax.