Offshore Drilling Debate
The Republican chant reverberated this summer from Anchorage to Miami: "Drill, baby, drill." And despite the endless analysis proving that offshore drilling would have little effect on the sky-high price of gas, the slogan caught fire. Even in green Santa Barbara, Calif., where a devastating oil spill in 1969 helped rally public support against offshore drilling, county officials in August voted in favor of opening coastal waters to petroleum exploration. But with Obama in the White House and Democrats in control of Congress — not to mention the fact that oil prices are less than half what they were in June when President George W. Bush called on Congress to allow offshore drilling — coastal waters are likely safe for now. The very volume of that chant, however, means the debate is far from over.