© 2024 WFAE
90.7 Charlotte 93.7 Southern Pines 90.3 Hickory 106.1 Laurinburg
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Offshore Drilling Vote

The House of Representatives is set to vote this evening on an energy bill that would open the country's coast to offshore drilling. It would also offer incentives for developing renewable energy House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's plan would allow states to decide whether they want to open their waters to offshore drilling. However, states would not be allowed to receive any royalties from oil revenue. Republican Congresswoman Sue Myrick says this is one of the major faults of the bill. Although it contains incentives to develop renewable energy, she says it doesn't address nuclear power. Myrick says nuclear power is an important part of that mix and she plans to vote no. "I just thing we should do as the federal government as much as we can to encourage all of the renewables-whether it's wind or solar, or whether you're looking at coal to liquids which isn't in the bill at all, nuclear which is not in the bill at all. To me these are very viable things that we need to be using," says Myrick. On the other hand, Democratic Congressman Mel Watt says it's a sound bill that he supports. "It sets up a whole comprehensive energy package, renewables, incentives for research, the whole range of things. And drilling is just one part of it," says Watt. The Senate could also vote on energy proposals this week.