Projo Politics Blog

Congress will return this week to a pre-election legislative agenda heavily influenced by the politics of the upcoming elections, which will not only select the next president but also determine the partisan makeup of the 111th Congress.

There will be much debate about the economy -- especially energy, the housing market and unemployment. But it's far from clear how much action will emerge. There may an early indication today, when the Senate is scheduled to take a key procedural vote on the blueprint for the 2009 Pentagon budget.

The defense authorization has big implications for New England, with its provisions for submarine-building and for the future of a new class of destroyer that accounts for lots of construction jobs in Maine and high-technology work on Aquidneck Island.

But the bill stalled during the summer over the non-military question of whether votes would be permitted on various plans to promote exploratory drilling for domestic pertroleum reserves.

Republicans, generally speaking, have followed their presidential nominee, Sen. John McCain, who has turned from opposition to support for action on that front. Democrats have been cooler to the prospect of exploiting domestic supplies, but their presidential nominee, Sen. Barack Obama, has opened the door to possible support of a package of energy initiatives that could include drilling. Polls show that public support for drilling has increased under the pressure of high energy prices.

 Tags  Congress defense energy John Mulligan

Comments

Karen Anne said:

Let's note that even if the U.S. allowed all possible offshore drilling and drilling in the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge, the startup would be such that that oil would not become available for about ten years, and when available would supply about one year's worth of U.S. demand.

Not a good trade off for potential irreparable damage to our coastlines and the Alaskan Wilderness, when we could have job-creating green energy industries online much sooner.

Meanwhile, from the Washington Post -

Sarah Palin Billed State for Nights Spent at Home
Taxpayers Also Funded Family's Travel

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/08/AR2008090803088.html

ANCHORAGE, Sept. 8 -- Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has billed taxpayers for 312 nights spent in her own home during her first 19 months in office, charging a "per diem" allowance intended to cover meals and incidental expenses while traveling on state business.

Link | September 9, 2008 4:21 AM
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