WASHINGTON — Lawmakers sped for the exits Friday as Congress was to begin a five-week recess after a summer session noteworthy for bitter partisanship and paralysis on the issue topmost in the minds of many voters: the cost of gasoline.

As its last major act, the House passed by a 409-4 vote its first spending bill, a $72.7 billion measure awarding generous increases to veterans programs and military base construction projects.

More noteworthy however, was what Congress failed to do: pass energy legislation and other measures aimed at lowering the price of gasoline.

Senate Republicans blocked a bill aimed at curbing speculation in oil markets, while a similar bill and several others by House Democrats — including a plan to encourage drilling in already available coastal areas and in Alaska — failed to advance after party leaders brought them to the floor under procedures that required supermajorities to pass. That procedure blocked Republicans from forcing a vote on opening new areas to oil drilling.

Republicans have been pressing to allow oil exploration in areas that are currently off limits, including the eastern Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. They have been relentless in their assault on Democrats over the topic, even though opening the Outer Continental Shelf to new exploration wouldn't put any oil on the market for a decade or more.

Democratic leaders have been resolute in blocking new offshore exploration, even as oil patch members and moderates in the party support the idea. It's clear that if a vote were allowed, new offshore drilling plans would be allowed.

"Congress shouldn't leave its business unfinished while American wallets are drained at the pump," said Rep. Ander Crenshaw, R-Fla.

After the House officially adjourned and the House had stopped its TV feeds to C-SPAN, a few dozen Republicans remained on the floor giving impassioned speeches about Democrats' decision to adjourn without a vote on their energy plan.

"Republicans will not go quietly," said Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind. "Let us demand that the president of the United States ... call a special session of this Congress on energy."

Democrats believe they can weather the criticism since voters are hardly sympathetic to the big oil companies pressing to lift the drilling restrictions. They perform better than Republicans in opinion polls on energy — despite the shift in opinions favoring offshore drilling — as well as on most other issues.

The battle over energy has also largely shuttered the annual appropriations process, the 12 bills funding Cabinet agency budgets that are supposed to be passed by the Oct. 1 start of the 2009 budget year. The House and Senate chairmen of the Appropriations committees shut down panel deliberations to avoid votes on lifting the offshore moratorium, which has been in place for about two decades.

The spending measure that passed Friday is just one of just a handful that even has a chance to become law before Congress adjourns for elections. It awards generous increases for veterans medical care and military base construction and base closures. It is easily the most bipartisan of the 12 annual appropriations bills since it funds politically sacred veterans accounts, despite exceeding President Bush's already generous budget increase for veterans and military construction by $3.4 billion.

The measure also contains 510 so-called earmarks, line-item projects requested by the administration and lawmakers. Early this year, top Republicans such as Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio made a big push to impose a moratorium on such hometown projects, sensing an election year opening with voters, especially people in the conservative GOP base.

But the GOP battle against earmarks was a distant memory Friday as the House voted 350-63 against an amendment by Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., to kill the 103 projects that were sought by lawmakers only, including readiness centers, parking garages, fitness centers and chapels.

The Senate held its last vote Thursday night, though noncontroversial business may be conducted Friday.


Credit:

http://www.comcast.net/articles/news-general/20080801/Congress/

I can see Congress doesn't give a rats a$$ what happens to the millions of americans who are losing there homes and jobs and so much more.

I really would like to know how they would feel if they had to live 90 days or more in are shoes and see how they can make money go as far as everybody else tires to make it go etc, I really do not think they get the big picture and I also think they can not live how every body else has been living as of late.

They should be handing us over there pay checks to help us out, if there this unwilling to lower the prices at the pump and or let them be able to drill else where etc.

You can blame the democrats for curbing any attempt at drilling in Alaska. But I think they're right. I think alternatives to fuel should be found instead of drilling in new places. The price of oil isn't going to down anytime soon so..about that...

Thats interesting

True but auto companys don't want noting to do with alternatives ways to fuel cars they sell etc, I mean if it's not auto companys / makers and or the goverment, it seem's we are all screwed.

Because the prices will keep going up and up. All some parts of the goverments are trying to do is keep at a lower rate so americans can affored gas at the pump as well as have more money etc.

Yea you're right. I think auto companies don't want anything to do with alternative fuel until the demand for their cars dramatically decreases as a direct result of oil prices. Although most of us need and require cars to live our daily lives, I think more people are turning towards smaller more fuel efficient cars. I think this is where the jdm capitalizes mostly. I say we all use scooters. Haha.

The price of oil dropped the day that the President lifted the presidential ban on offshore drilling.

We need to find alternative fuels, but until we do, we still have to eat and go to work.

Alternative fuels have HUGE limitations.

One of the major problems with Hybrid vehicles is that batteries are so inefficient at storing energy. 1000 pounds of a Prius is batteries.

Hydrogen costs more energy to produce than the hydrogen can produce. The cheapest we can produce hydrogen for is a rating of 1.4:1. That means for every 1.4 energy units (kilowatt, megawatt, etc) 1 energy unit is produced.

Biodiesel would require huge amounts of farming and would deprive people in poor countries of the corn they depend upon.

Solar power is very inefficient.

Wind power is very inefficient, noisy and dangerous to birds.

Like it or not, the only viable source of energy in the world at this time is hydrocarbons.

Yeah, but I don't know to many people that would buy a scooter since most people need a big car to get there wheel chair around in etc.

Smaller cars are nice but not for every body or every one who need's the bigger cars for helping getting there kids around or others etc.

Boy now thats one bias article if Ive ever read one.

I see Bush taking credit for a bill he threatened to veto until it was shown Congress would get enough votes to override the veto. Then he increased the size of the bill. Now he wants to take credit for it! LMAO


Oh Spidy, your behind on the tech buddy.
GM has a Hydrogen fuel cell that gets 300 miles to one fill-up, and Calif just opened several Hydrogen fuel stations.

10 yrs to get a drop of oil from areas requiring the moratorium to be lifted vs tech that already exists and could be in use within 2 yrs?
Ill take the new tech any day!

Plus there is the Bakken Oil fields in N Dakota and Montana. They are estimated to be the largest find since Saudi Arabia and by themselves have the ability to take care of all our Foreign oil needs.
The Offshore drilling moratorium doesn't need to be lifted to recover this oil. The problem for the Republicans and their oil company backers is that N Dakota and Montana are going to develop this oil field without them!
Competition that may well step on their interests, because they will not be able to share in the profits, nor control the price of oil in this country!
The Oil Giants know the Republicans days in office are numbered and this is why they are pushing so hard, so suddenly to lift the moratorium.
They are playing on the fears of a population that is uninformed and too easy to believe their Propaganda.
Undoubtably they are paying the Republicans, and probably some Democrats, for their efforts on the oil companies behalf!!

http://www.energyandcapital.com/articles/bakken-oil-production/613