Congress to Be Asked for Vote Against Drilling Ban

Rep. William E. Dannemeyer (R-Fullerton) vowed Friday to lead the charge to defeat efforts to renew a moratorium on oil and gas exploration off California that is set to expire Nov. 15.

A longtime advocate of offshore drilling and national energy independence, Dannemeyer said he will seek a vote of the full House of Representatives on the ban, which has been extended annually since 1981 through the efforts of pro-environmental California House Democrats.

“With the Texas and Louisiana delegations supporting development of (offshore reserve) because they understand the need for energy independence, I frankly think we have the votes on the House floor to defeat this moratorium,” he said at a California Manufacturers Assn. conference on energy.

Opposes Extension

Dannemeyer, who is exploring a bid for the GOP nomination for the U.S. Senate in 1986, said he would fight attempts by anti-drilling forces to include a one-year extension in a continuing resolution to finance federal government operations after Nov. 15.

His remarks came one day after members of a coalition of four anti-drilling Orange County coastal cities announced plans to fly to Washington to lobby for the moratorium extension.

Laguna Beach Mayor Bobbie L. Minkin said Thursday that the coast would be “completely unprotected” without an extension of the ban because of last month’s collapse of a tentative compromise on offshore drilling between Interior Secretary Donald P. Hodel and a majority of California congressmen. Minkin and San Clemente Mayor Robert Limberg will represent their cities and coalition members Newport Beach and Huntington Beach in Washington next week.

The moratorium, imposed to block former Interior Secretary James L. Watt’s efforts to open most of the state’s coastline to oil exploration, originally was to expire Oct. 1.

But the moratorium was extended for 45 days after Hodel rejected the tentative agreement to replace the ban with a plan to open 150 offshore tracts for lease in exchange for protecting the remaining 98% of the coastline until the year 2000.

Dannemeyer told the manufacturers’ group Friday that maneuvers by the anti-drilling forces led by Rep. Leon E. Panetta (D-Carmel Valley) have been successful in extending the ban for many years through the Interior Department’s annual appropriations bill and have blocked floor debate on the issue.

Dannemeyer vowed to try “parliamentary tactics” of his own to force the issue to the House floor this time and predicted he could win 240 votes to kill the ban.

“It would be very close,” Dannemeyer said. “But I think we would prevail.”