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UPDATE July 14! “President Bush Lifts An Executive Ban On Oil Exploration In America’s Outer Continental Shelf And Calls On Congress To Lift Its Legislative Ban” Click here for White House statement. Forum wonders what took the administration so long?

Yesterday, on NRO, free-market paladin Larry Kudlow reported here

“First, the president will continue his strong push on energy deregulation to open up the offshore outer continental shelf, ANWR, and the shale fields. When asked if he would revoke the executive order moratorium on drilling, he said he was thinking about it. When asked whether he would give a prime-time nationally televised speech on the subject, he said he would think about that too.” [Underscoring Forum’s.]

The Institute for Energy Research here explains below the executive and legislative bans on offshore drilling. Click here for the entire IER release.

“Mr. Bush, Tear Up That Offshore Drilling Ban”
IER Calls on Bush to Tear Up Moratorium on Offshore Drilling

“Two federal bans keep the U.S. from producing its vast offshore energy resources. The Executive Moratorium was instituted in 1990 and is set to expire in 2012, but can be eliminated by the president at any time. The Congressional Moratorium comes in the form of an annual appropriations rider in Congress. It expires every year and must be renewed annually by a vote in the Congress. Neither have the force of permanent law.”

Last month, Michelle Malkin had this to report on repealing the legislative moratorium on drilling here:

“GOP Rep. John Peterson of Pennsylvania offered an amendment a year ago to permit offshore natural gas drilling. It was defeated 196-233 by do-nothing Democrats now panicked over high gas prices and forecasts of declining energy supplies from non-OPEC nations. Peterson is pushing his amendment again today before a House Appropriations subcommittee, but it’s another uphill battle.”

*****

The Senate and the White House, kowtowing to California and Florida electoral interests, actually oppose the measure. So does Barack Obama. McCain is straddling with a ‘let the states decide whether to drill . . . .’”

And then here:

“GOP Rep. John Peterson’s latest bid to lift domestic offshore drilling restrictions, which I blogged earlier today here, was killed this afternoon by the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior and the Environment. It was a straight, party line vote.”

The most optimistic take on Mr. Kudlow’s report is that the president could be coming to a better mind on removing the executive offshore drilling ban. Perhaps he will also pressure Congress to remove their appropriations roadblock to offshore drilling.

Maryland and Virginia readers can see who their House Appropriations Committee members are here.

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