McCain Calls for New Offshore Drilling from Offshore Drilling Platform

Sen. John McCain flew by helicopter to the Chevron Genesis oil drilling platform
in the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday to reiterate his call for the United States to
begin selling new offshore oil drilling leases.

Such leases have been significantly restricted by a moratorium that has been included in the
annual Interior Department appropriation bill every year since 1982. The
moratorium will expire on September 30 when the current Interior appropriation
expires unless an extension is approved by Congress and signed into law by
President Bush...