This house would encourage offshore drilling

Offshore drilling is an extremely contentious topic in the national discourse. Due to concerns over the environmental impact of offshore oil extraction, a moratorium on offshore drilling was passed in 1981 and Congress has renewed it every year since. However, in 2010 President Obama lifted the moratorium on offshore drilling. Rising gas (petroleum) prices and increasing political pressure, especially from Republicans in oil-rich states such as Alaska's Sarah Palin, have generated intense debate about lifting the moratorium. Generally the proponents argue for the economic and energy benefits, and the opponents are most concerned about the environmental detriments. In April 2010 caused a massive oil leak from a deep-water oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico operated by BP. The leak poured out oil for four months, becoming the worst such disaster in US history, and inflicting massive environmental damage and economic harm upon Gulf states such as Louisiana and Alabama. One natural consequence was renewed concern about the wisdom of more offshore drilling and calls for much tighter regulation of existing oil wells.