Melancon pressing Dem leaders to allow drilling ban vote

Rep. Charlie Melancon (D-La.) said he is negotiating with House Democratic leadership about allowing a vote Friday on his amendment to lift or scale back the Obama administration’s six-month ban on deepwater oil-and-gas drilling.

Melancon and other Gulf Coast lawmakers say the drilling freeze — imposed in the wake of the BP spill — is piling more economic pain on the already-battered region. He wants to amend the Democratic spill response bill expected on the House floor Friday.

“They [Democratic leaders] are working with me. They understand, of course, as you know, in my caucus there is going to be opposition to anything that encourages offshore [drilling]. So, I am trying to allay those fears and ... find a balance but still give me the ability to go home and keep an industry alive that is real important to us,” Melancon told The Hill on Thursday.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) office could not be reached for comment.

Melancon said the discussions are about “getting a vote on a moratorium amendment and trying to allay whatever concerns they may have.”

“I want to be able to hopefully be successful. This isn’t just a Don Quixote episode. This is about something that is very important to us,” he said. Melancon said there are ways to ease the ban while ensuring safeguards are met.

One option, he said, is using “rotating” inspections to allow rigs under contract to proceed with drilling after their check-up.

Melancon also suggested allowing rigs to drill through layers of rock while stopping 1,000 feet before they reach oil-and-gas reservoirs “just to make sure everything is on the up and up.”

“We keep the rigs drilling and we keep the people working and we don’t jeopardize the safety of the Gulf or the people that are on those rigs,” he said.