The U.S. Senate voted Tuesday to open 8.3 million acres of federal waters in the central Gulf of Mexico to oil and natural-gas drilling, setting up a battle with the House of Representatives, which wants even more drilling in the region. The Senate approved the measure 71 to 25. It now must be reconciled with broader drilling legislation passed by the House of Representatives in June. Supporters said the Senate measure would be a major step toward producing more domestic energy and lowering natural-gas prices, which have soared in recent years. “This bill will substantially reduce our reliance on foreign oil and gas,” said Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (Republican from Tennessee). “It brings more American energy to American consumers.” Some critics of the legislation noted that it will be years before any oil or natural gas will be extracted from the area and that the legislation does not address many of the country's energy problems. At best, “this will supply a small amount of gas years from now,” said Senator Mark Dayton (Democrat from Minnesota), who criticized the inability to broaden the legislation beyond drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.
