Sen. Pete Domenici (R-N.M.) sponsored a bill (S. 3711) that would authorize oil drilling in the 8.3 million acres of the eastern Gulf of Mexico. The Senate would allow much less offshore drilling than the House-passed legislation (see House vote #34); however, it would still be a step in the right direction.
The Senate passed S. 3711 on August 1, 2006 by a vote of 71-25. (Roll Call 219). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because the United States should reduce its dependency on foreign oil and utilize it own energy resources.
