Yep for those reasons as well. It originally started back in 1982, when the Democratically led Congress restricted more and more areas through appropriations.
What Democratic-led Congress was that?
[INDENT]In
1981, Congress voted to stop the sale of leases off the coast of Northern California. The moratorium was included in the Interior Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 1982. The provision was supported by almost every member of the California delegation from both political parties. It was approved by the House and by the
Republican-majority Senate, and signed it into law by President Reagan.
In
1982, Congress extended the moratorium for Northern California and expanded the area to include the Central California coast. The House also approved an amendment by Republican Congressman Jim Courter to prohibit leases off the coast of New Jersey.
Again, the majority-Republican Senate approved the bill and Reagan signed it into law. In
1983, the moratoria on offshore leases were continued in Northern and Central California and were expanded to include Southern California, the Florida Gulf Coast, and the Georges Bank off the coast of New England. Republican and Democratic Members of the California and Florida delegations pushed for the moratoria.
The Republican-majority Senate approved the Interior Appropriations Act and President Reagan signed it into law.
The Exxon Valdez spill off the Alaskan Coast in March 1989 increased environmental concerns. The Interior Appropriations Act for
FY 1990 includes moratoria on leases off of California, Florida, Massachusetts, Bristol Bay of Alaska, and the Atlantic Ocean from Rhode Island to Maryland.
President Bush signed the bill into law.[/INDENT]
And then came the GHW Bush Executive Order
[INDENT]In June
1990, President George Bush announced a 10-year moratorium on drilling off California, Florida, and New England. The Interior Appropriations Act for FY 1991 included one-year bans on leases for areas not covered in Bush's order, including Bristol Bay in Alaska, the Florida Panhandle, and the Atlantic from New Jersey to Maryland. [/INDENT]
You cant just make shit up about a Democratic-led Congress....when the Republicans controlled the Senate and/or the White House.
There have been several legislative efforts to eliminate them over the last couple years by the R's, but none none have been successful. They have been rebuked by the environmentally conscious D's and their majority in the house.
And the Clinton and Bush years, with majority Republican Congress for most of those years.
[INDENT]From 1991 to 2007, the Interior Appropriations Act for each year included moratoria on drilling except off the coasts of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and parts of Alaska.
There was no significant change in policy toward offshore drilling even though Republicans controlled Congress for twelve years from 1995 through 2006.[/INDENT]
But you know all about the appropriations process....and its the Democrats fault.