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MAY 25, 2001

The Outer Continental Shelf Policy Committee on Thursday recommended Interior Secretary Gale Norton explore lifting existing moratoriums on natural gas development in off-shore areas.

To carry out the recommendation, Norton and the Bush administration would have to lobby Congress to overturn a ban on instituted in 1982. It was instituted in response to former Secretary James Watt.

A number of off-shore areas are covered by the moratorium including the eastern Gulf of Mexico off the Florida coast, southern California, and areas in the Atlantic. Californians oppose lifting the moratorium and Florida Governor Jeb Bush, President Bush's brother, opposes drilling off the coast of his state.

Get the Story:
Federal Panel Seeks List of Potential Coastal Sites for Natural Gas Drilling (The Los Angeles 5/25)

Relevant Links:
Outer Continental Shelf Policy Committee - http://www.mms.gov/mmab/pcnew.htm

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