Information about the vote from special interest groups and other information providers in our Report Cards:
League of Conservation Voters
Offshore Drilling.
S. 3711, the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act, ended protections for Florida’s Gulf Coast
and opened up 8 million acres off the coasts of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana for
oil and gas drilling. And, for the first time ever, 37 percent of the revenue from drilling would go to Gulf Coast states rather than the federal treasury — a precedent that could encourage more states to support drilling off their coasts and cost federal taxpayers billions.
Although many senators have introduced bills that would truly address our nation’s energy
problems, such as raising fuel efficiency standards for cars and trucks, Senate leaders ignored clean-energy solutions and brought S. 3711 up for a vote on the Senate floor. Opponents of the bill mounted a filibuster and urged that the Senate consider faster, cheaper, and cleaner energy proposals. Cloture (end-of-debate) passed.Republicans for Environmental Protection
Motion to end debate on bill requiring Interior Department to offer oil and gas leases in Gulf of Mexico.
A motion to invoke cloture (end debate) on S. 3711, the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006. This bill requires the Interior Department to offer oil and gas leases on 8.3 million acres in the eastern Gulf of Mexico.