McCain Offshore Drilling

- McCain proposes lifting ban on offshore drilling
- Hopes to reduce dependence of foreign oil
- Offshore drilling was banned in 1981 by George H. W. Bush
- Ban extended to 2012 by President Bill Clinton in 1998The WashingtonPost.com: House to Vote on Senate's Offshore Drilling Plan (December 5, 2006)
- Suggests giving states incentives for exploration

On Monday, June 16, 2008, presidential candidate John McCain called for an end to the offshore drilling ban implemented in 1981. He suggested that giving individual states the right to explore the waters off their coasts will relieve the United States' dependence on foreign oil in the short term.
McCain Quotes on Offshore Drilling

"We have untapped oil reserves of at least 21 billion barrels in the United States. But a broad federal moratorium stands in the way of energy exploration and production...It is time for the federal government to lift these restrictions."—John McCain, The Washington Post
Obama's Reaction to Proposal

"John McCain's plan to simply drill our way out of our energy crisis is the same misguided approach backed by President Bush that has failed our families for too long and only serves to benefit the big oil companies."—Barack Obama, The Washington Post