Your Web Site
President Bush's decision this week to lift the federal moratorium on offshore drilling defied the Democratic Party's long-held opposition to oil exploration along the U.S. coastline. But recently more Democrats are indicating that they might change their minds, leaving environmentalists wondering whether the lawmakers will stick to their ideological guns or be swayed by high gas prices and campaign contributions from big industries. "Democrats have said they're not going to open it up," said Nick Berning, press secretary for the environmental group Friends of the Earth. "If they change that position, you might think, 'Boy, what's causing them to do this?'"One answer may be found in the increased contributions to Democrats in the last two years from industries such as oil and gas, auto manufacturers and electric utilities,... [read full story]
