White, Heinrich disagree about oil drilling lease...

IT' IS THE WAR-CRY ON CAPITOL HILL AS DEMOCRATS TRY TO PUT PRESSURE ON THE OIL COMPANIES - AND AS STUART DYSON REPORTS-- IT’S CERTAINLY CRANKING UP THE HEAT IN A NEW MEXICO POLITICAL RACE. THE DRILL BILL WOULD FORCE OIL COMPANIES TO DRILL ON MILLIONS OF ACRES OF PUBLIC LAND ALREADY LEASED OUT FOR DRILLING - BLOCKING A REPUBLICAN PLAN TO ALLOW DRILLING OFF THE ATLANTIC AND PACIFIC COASTS AND IN ALASKA'S ARCTIC WILDERNESS. ' 68 million acres that the oil companies are not producing from - they're sitting on those - waiting for the price of gas to go to five dollars a gallon.'' That's absolutely false - just because land has been designated for drilling doesn't mean that there's oil there - that is a fallacy.'' I support use it or lose it legislation that would say - if you've got leases and you're not willing to drill - we're gonna take those leases back and we're gonna give 'em to someone who is - I think that's a good first step in increasing the amount of domestic production.''That means let's do nothing - let's continue on the same path that we're on - the oil companies would be drilling in those locations on that designated land if they thought oil - that oil could be located - that's what they're in the business of doing.' TWO VERSIONS OF THE DRILL BILL HAVE FAILED TO WIN THE NECESSARY MAJORITY IN THE HOUSE - DEMOCRATS VOW TO TRY AGAIN - REPUBLICANS VOW TO KEEP FIGHTING IT. WHITE AND HEINRICH ACTUALLY AGREE ON LONG-TERM GOALS FOR CLEAN RENEWABLE ENERGY ALTERNATIVES - BUT THEY BITTERLY DISAGREE ON WHAT TO DO ABOUT THE NATION'S THIRST FOR OIL RIGHT NOW.