From Phil Kerpen, Americans for Prosperity, “A Stunning Pro-Drilling Victory“:

With the clock ticking down to what some are calling “Energy Freedom Day” — October 1, 2008, when the congressional bans on offshore oil drilling and onshore oil-shale development are set to expire — anti-drilling Democrats have backed down from a high-stakes stand-off that could have caused a government shutdown and will now result in the complete demise of the drilling bans. This is a stunning victory for grassroots activists over environmental special interests and business-as-usual in Washington. If not derailed, it also will be great news for all American consumers.

Phil follows with a blow-by-blow of how opponents of the ban achieved their legislative goal.

More… 

Statement from Rep. John Boehner (R-OH), House minority leader, “House Republicans Score Victory for the American People After Democrats Capitulate on Offshore, Oil Shale Energy Production Bans.”

CNN story, “House Democrats will allow offshore drilling ban to expire“

From Agence France Presse:

Energy-poor Jordan said on Sunday it was in talks with Anglo-Dutch group Royal Dutch Shell on an agreement to extract oil from the desert kingdom’s 40-billion-tonne oil shale reserves. “Negotiations with Shell to sign a deal to process oil shale in Jordan are nearing an end,” said Maher Hjazin, head of the state-run Natural Resources Authority.

“If our plans succeed, it would be one of the country’s largest projects to help the Jordan become energy self-sufficient, with a possibility to export oil in the future.”

From the Fort Collins Coloradan, reporting on a town hall meeting sponsored by the state chapter of the free-market advocates, Americans for Prosperity: “Meeting participants advocate developing new sources of oil“:

Michael Amodeo, a spokesman for U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar, who did not attend the meeting, said the main reason shale oil isn’t being excavated now is the technology to do so does not yet exist. While Shell Oil is pursuing promising technologies, it is still years away from being ready for commercial development.

“The Interior Department and oil companies themselves have admitted that we won’t see any impact until 2015,” Amodeo said.

House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) spoke today at an American Spectator/Americans for Tax Reform newsmaker luncheon today, with Heritage Foundation blogging guests also on hand.

Boehner and 10 Republican freshmen returned this week from an energy-oriented trip to Colorado and Alaska, and today’s session concentrated on energy issues.

The leader’s arguments:

• The majority of the public favors additional domestic energy supply, i.e. drilling.
• Clear majorities exist in both the House and Senate for pro-supply measures. In the House, Democratic leadership therefore prevents votes on legislation. 
• House Republicans intend to try to force votes, but it’s unclear whether the strategy will succeed.
• Republicans also intend to make energy a campaign issue this fall.

We’ll let the partisan politics speak for itself, although yes, it does seem like pro-energy supply bills would pass if allowed to come to a straight up-and-down vote.

A good question came from Phil Kerpen of Americans for Prosperity. Kerpen cited the EPA’s recent Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on the regulation of greenhouse gases, alluding to the Supreme Court’s ruling in Massachusetts v. EPA. Kerpen asked whether Congressional policymaking on energy isn’t ultimately moot if the EPA regulates carbon dioxide under the 1970 Clean Air Act, and whether Congress might respond in some fashion, perhaps a rider on the continuing resolution. 

Boehner:

First you have to remember that the Democrats control the Congress, and you’ve seen their willingness to give us an opportunity to amend their appropriations bills, or for that matter, almost any bill.

If I had my way I would make it clear that CO2 is not the enemy, because under that court ruling, we’d have Fish & Wildlife Service and EPA in charge of every CO2 permit in America. I think it’s going to become very evident by this time next year in Congress that if they haven’t acted, they’re going to have to act. But I see no evidence on the part of the Democrat majority in the House and Senate to address the issue.

Kerpen wrote a column highlighting the regulatory implications (dangers) of the EPA’s Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, “The EPA’s Blueprint for Disaster.”

UPDATE: (4:20 p.m.) A good, brief account of today’s session from David Weigel at Reason.