The US House of Representatives is expected to vote today on a comprehensive energy package that would open most of the US coastline to offshore drilling.
The package proposed by Democrats would give states the option to allow drilling between 50 and 100 miles (80 and 160 km) off their shores. Areas more than 100 miles from the coast would be completely open to oil exploration.
Until recently, Democratic leaders in Congress strongly opposed lifting the moratorium on offshore drilling, saying drilling would have only a small impact on gasoline prices in the immediate future.
But following hikes in petrol prices and lobbying by Republicans including chants of 'drill, baby, drill' at their convention, US public opinion shifted in favour of offshore drilling.
With the moratorium facing expiration on 30 September, Democrats supported repealing the ban as part of a larger energy package.
Republicans, however, have accused Democrats of putting forward a bill that seems to promote offshore drilling, but would do little to expand domestic production.
'Regrettably, if not accidentally, this bill removes the financial incentive for coastal states to team up with the federal government to break our dependence on foreign oil and bring down prices at the pump,' Republican Congressman Roy Blunt of Missouri said in a column this week.
Opponents of the bill say states will not want to open their coasts to drilling without a revenue-sharing plan. Others argue that by requiring drilling to be at least 50 miles from the shore closes off a great deal of the outer continental shelf where oil may be located.
Democrats countered that their package would lift the moratorium on offshore drilling on 319 million acres (129m hectares) to 404 million acres (164m hectares) off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts.
They added that states would be motivated to open their shores to exploration because it would boost their economies and jobs would be created.
Other provisions in the House energy package include:
-Selling 70m barrels of light crude oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, to be replaced with heavy crude oil.
-Offering renewable energy and efficiency tax credits that would be funded by repealing some tax breaks for the oil industry.
-Allowing oil shale development in the western states, if the states approve.
-Requiring oil companies to develop the leases they already hold.
-Requiring more frequent lease sales in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska.
