Drill, baby, drill!

Democrats to let offshore drilling ban expire

WASHINGTON - Democrats have decided to allow a quarter-century ban on drilling for oil off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts to expire next week, conceding defeat in a months-long battle with the White House and Republicans set off by $4 a gallon gasoline prices this summer.

House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey, D-Wis., told reporters Tuesday that a provision continuing the moratorium will be dropped this year from a stopgap spending bill to keep the government running after Congress recesses for the election.

Yay! Now all we have to do is find a way to interpret “offshore” to include Alaska. Hey, that's “off the West Coast,” right? Which is really just another way of saying "off the Pacific coast." Right?

Hat tip Owen.