"Congress Rising Above Partisanship On Offshore Drilling?"

Six more senators on Tuesday joined a bipartisan group of 10 senators backing a bill they say will break the stalemate over offshore drilling in Congress.

Three Democrats and three Republicans joined the so-called Gang of 10, making it the Gang of 16. The group supports a bill that would lift a ban on oil and natural gas drilling in the eastern Gulf of Mexico and off the southeastern U.S. coast, invest $20 billion in the development of petroleum-free motor vehicles and extend tax credits for renewable energy.

Among the new converts are two Republican senators facing tough re-election bids this fall, underscoring the role high energy prices are playing on the campaign trail. By signing on with the group, Sens. Norm Coleman of Minnesota and John Sununu of New Hampshire have broken with the majority of their party, which like President Bush, would like to see the moratorium on drilling lifted along the entire Atlantic and Pacific coasts.

Sununu said Tuesday that while he favors lifting the moratorium entirely, the bipartisan bill opens up new areas and has a chance of being passed this year.

The other senators rounding out the Gang of 16 on Tuesday were Republican John Warner of Virginia and Democrats Tim Johnson of South Dakota, Tom Carper of Delaware and Ken Salazar of Colorado.

The coalition, under the leadership of Sens. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., and Kent Conrad, D-N.D., assembled in early August. The other four original Republican members are John Thune of South Dakota, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Johnny Isakson of Georgia and Bob Corker of Tennessee. They were joined by Democrats Blanche Lincoln and Mark Pryor of Arkansas, Mary Landrieu of Louisiana and Ben Nelson of Nebraska.

Congress broke for its August recess without finding agreement on how big a role expanded domestic oil and gas production should have in a broader energy bill. Lawmakers return Sept. 8 for a three-week session before leaving again to campaign for the November elections.

When Congress reconvenes, Republican leaders want an up-and-down vote on a bill that would allow more extensive offshore drilling. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., have indicated in recent weeks that any bill including drilling would be packaged with other measures opposed by Republicans, such as selling oil from the country's emergency stockpile and raising royalties paid by oil companies.

 U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Sunday that expanded oil drilling in federal waters could be included in a broader energy bill if advocates can prove its viability as a solution to America's energy problems.

Pelosi, a California Democrat who reversed her outright opposition to expanded offshore drilling earlier this month, said the oil industry and its allies in Congress must also agree to royalties on oil profits to fund the development of renewable energy resources.

She criticized President George W. Bush and other Republicans for presenting offshore drilling as an answer to the recent rise in U.S. gasoline prices, saying expanded drilling would not affect prices for a decade and then only by a small degree.

"I don't think that's a good alternative. But if they can prove that it is, and they want to pay royalties to the taxpayer ... then we have something to talk about," the top congressional Democrat told NBC's "Meet the Press" program.

"I'm prepared to preside over legislation that will take a comprehensive approach," she said. "Include that (drilling). Let it compete and see where we come down on it, and if that in fact is a good alternative, then that is something that we should do."

Congress is scheduled to return from its summer recess next month and Democrats in the House of Representatives have offered the prospect of legislation that could give oil companies drilling access to more offshore areas.

By moving to open additional federal waters to exploration, Democrats hope to narrow differences with Republicans on how to address public concerns about energy costs ahead of November's presidential and congressional elections.

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has changed his position on the issue by saying he would be willing to consider new offshore drilling as a part of comprehensive energy legislation.

His Republican challenger, John McCain, also switched his position and called for opening most U.S. waters to drilling.

Democrats have called for releasing supplies from the U.S. emergency oil stockpile, increasing drilling in an Alaskan oil reserve already open to exploration and requiring utilities to generate a portion of their electricity from renewable sources like solar and wind energy.

The legislation would also seek to rein in excessive market speculation blamed by many critics for driving up oil and gasoline prices.

   It is encouraging to see Congress beginning to rise above partisanship in coming up with a much needed comprehensive energy package. As I see it, the oil companies do need new areas to find oil in the interim between now and when America can completely change over to alternative energy sources. Now that stubborn President Bush is a lame duck President, Republican Congressmen and Senators don't have to "toe the Party line" and can do what is in the best interests of America. Kudos to the bi-partisan "Gang Of 16" for leading the charge to get a comprehensive energy plan in place in time for the next President to sign into law. To hell with President Bush!

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