Maryland Lawmakers Divided on Drilling Issue CAPITOL HILL (wypr) - Maryland lawmakers are divided when it comes to drilling off their coasts. Though not simply along Party lines. Elizabeth Wynne Johnson reports from Capitol Hill.

Gas prices and foreign oil dependence are at the core of an increasingly bitter partisan feud. Maryland Democrat Ben Cardin took to the Senate floor this week to make the appeal: can't we all just get along?

"Mr. President, together we can enact legislation to help that frustrated Maryland consumer/driver that is worried about whether he or she will be able to get to work with the cost of energy. We can help today, put aside our partisan differences and debate on these issues and vote on these issues." [:21]

At the moment, Republicans and Democrats are decidedly NOT getting along.
The White House and many Congressional Republicans blame Democrats for mounting fuel prices. Virginia Senator John Warner welcomed the President's plan. He has been trying to open up the state's coastline for years, although his amendments in the past have failed. During a floor speech, Warner said he wants a balanced energy policy. He said families are cutting back on energy use, but more supplies are needed as well.

"As Americans contend with rising gas prices, personal stories reflect the way in which family budgets are suffering and the cost of gasoline is impacting the way Americans can cope. (:14)

Texas Republican John Cornyn is a staunch supporter of the President's energy policy. Especially when it comes to off-shore drilling. And he says public opinion is on his side:

"According to the latest Rasmussen Poll, 67% of respondents believe that we should explore in the Outer Continental Shelf 64% said they expect that would lower gasoline prices. And I believe they're right." [:18]

Cornyn and many other Republicans take a supply-side approach. They say restrictions on domestic production are the root of the nation's problem. They accuse the majority of repeatedly squashing legislation that they say would increase domestic production and lower prices at the pump. On that point, Maryland Republican Roscoe Bartlett couldn't disagree more.

"The first thing we need to do is to be honest and to address the problem. And the problem is that we just cannot pump enough oil to meet the world's demands. We need to transition to something else. And the first thing we need to do is an aggressive program in conservation which frees up some energy and buys some time, so we can now do what we should have been doing a couple of decades ago." [:20]

Democrats are on an offensive of their own. They fire back that further exploration such as off-shore drilling would affect gas prices by only pennies to the gallon - and even that would take decades. House majority leader Steny Hoyer says a debate over boosting domestic capacity is valid, but Republicans first need to account for existing domestic resources that are going unused.

"Oil and gas companies hold leases to 68M acres. 68M acres of federal land and waters on which they are NOT producing oil and gas. 68M acres they've asked for leases on, they've gotten leases on and are not producing oil or gas." [:21]

According to Hoyer, that is enough to make a real difference.

"4.8M barrels every day in America if they were pursing those leases. That would double US production and increase domestic natural gas production by 75%." [:14]

Even Congressman Bartlett isn't so sure.

"It's my understanding that the reason they're not drilling is because they don't think there's any oil there." [:08]

Given the stalemate on Capitol Hill on a range of issues, it's unlikely that Maryland beach-goers will be seeing oil derricks on the horizon anytime soon.
One thing that seems to be in limitless supply: the power of oil and energy policy to fuel partisan bickering.
For Eighty-eight one, WYPR, I'm Elizabeth Wynn Johnson, Capitol News Connection.
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