Offshore Drilling Restrictions

Governors of coastal states say the shadow cast by Deepwater Horizon has loomed too large and lingered too long--now they want more drilling off their coasts and they want to reap more of the benefits, they told an audience at the Offshore Technology Conference in Houston Monday.Governors of states that already see offshore activity such as Texas and Alaska said they want the federal government to loosen its hold on regulation of the industry and for the states to share more of the revenue oil and gas leasing generates. Governors of some East Coast states where offshore drilling isn't currently allowed said they want their waters opened up to the energy industry."States know how to harness our natural resources," Texas Gov. Rick Perry, a Republican, said.The governors of states bordering the Gulf of Mexico, including Texas, Alabama, and Mississippi, said lessons have been learned from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster, but the federal permitting process is still keeping a lid on offs...

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