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WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. Jon Porter, R-Nev., was one of just 15 House Republicans to cross party lines to help pass a Democratic energy plan late Tuesday night.
Porter is in perhaps his toughest re-election campaign this fall, and has repeatedly broken from his peers after being criticized in the past as being in lock-step with his party.
House Republican leaders had sought to limit dissent within their ranks as they pressed unsuccessfully for a vote on the Republican bill, which called for more off-shore oil drilling in protected waters than the Democratic version. Republicans complained that the bill that passed did not go far enough to open protected waters to drilling.
High gas prices have been a top campaign issue among voters, especially in Nevada where voters drive long distances and the tourism industry is suffering from the economic downturn.
Porter and fellow Republican Rep. Dean Heller opposed their party's bill because it contained provisions to help develop Yucca Mountain, the proposed nuclear waste dump north of Las Vegas.
But Heller voted against the Democratic bill because he opposed the provisions lifting tax breaks for oil companies, which many see as a tax increase.
This bill by the Pelosi democrats Does Nothing for Americans but it is in keeping with her and the dems policy of Do Nothing for the people over the last two years. 99.9% of American oil is WITHIN 50 miles of America, Not 50 miles OUTSIDE of America
What the Americans need is to get off purchasing foreign oil NOW and start drilling for new oil and gas within 50 miles plus using all their own new sources of energy now. Because Every 1 year of delay in drilling for USA oil=10 more years dependency on foreign oil, which =20 more years of fighting foreign radical Islamic terrorists paid for by our continued purchase of $700 billion per year in foreign oil. Something that Obama, Biden and Democrats do not agree with, but McCain, Palin and Republicans Do....Keep smiling....
The offshore ban expires Sept 30th. We need to let this happen and then use American resources for American jobs now. Toss every decieving democrat in November and get this country back to work recovering our own energy instead of buying our natural gas from Russia.
Porter need to get over the Yucca vote issue.
Voting for the Reid and Pelosi bill which will not produce any more domestic gas and oil is real dumb.
Porter's Big Oil backers won't be happy with him.
It's nice to see, though, that he's on the same page as Titus on this issue.
However, it's too late for him to "buck" party lines. His record show's he's been a loyal Bush man and has voted with him more times than he has voted with Southern Nevadan's interests. It's time for Porter to go back to BC.
So Porter crossed party lines. What timing! Just before an election....Hmmmmm