US House drilling plan draws local fire

Many state and local leaders favor offshore oil drilling, but are dissatisfied with the package passed late Tuesday by the U.S. House of Representatives.

The House bill would open waters 50 miles off the Pacific and Atlantic coasts to oil and natural gas development -- if the states involved agree. The bill does not allow the states to share royalties from energy production.

The legislation now moves to the

Senate, which probably will develop its own package, according to Kevin Bishop, communications director for U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.

While Graham favors offshore drilling, he does not support the House proposal, Bishop said.

"He thinks the states should share in the revenue and should have a say so in drilling off their shores," Bishop said.

U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., agrees, according to his press secretary, Ryan Leigh Dawkins.

"Senator DeMint is opposed to plans that raise energy taxes, permanently ban over 80 percent of America's offshore resources, and exclude new states from sharing in royalties," she said.

Congress has renewed bans on such drilling annually for the past 26 years. The ban will expire Sept. 30 unless Congress acts.

At least two proposalsin the Senate would allow drilling in some areas along the southern Atlantic coast from Virginia to Georgia. But the Pacific and remainder of the Atlantic seaboard states would not be affected.

U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson, R-Lexington, voted against the House billbecause it would "restrict offshore oil drilling, prohibit revenue sharing for coastal states, and increase electricity bills for South Carolina families," according to a statement issued Tuesday night.

At the local level, state Rep. Bill Herbkersman, R-Bluffton, said drilling might be an option, but he needs more facts.

"I don't know enough about it right now," he said. "I might like to see something more comprehensive that tells us what we have available and what it will take to do it, how fast we can do it and to what extent we can protect local areas as we do it."

State Rep. Richard Chalk, R-Hilton Head Island, did not return a call to his cell phone Wednesday.

Charlie Clark, vice-president of communications for the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce, said environmental concerns should be a major factor in the decision.

"There is no denying action has to happen when it comes to our energy needs, but tourism is the No. 1 industry in South Carolina, with a vast majority (of it) on the coast," she said. "Hilton Head is known for its commitment to environmental preservation, and we believe any potential harm or risk to our beaches is something that should be strongly considered."

The effects on tourism is one reason Gov. Mark Sanford continues to oppose offshore drilling.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.