Republicans push plan to fine states that block offshore drilling

摘要

Washington-Republicans in the US House of Representatives want to penalize states that block oil and natural gas drilling off their coasts by forcing them to pay the federal government potentially billions of dollars to compensate for unused leases. The proposal would allow states to keep drilling off their shores, but would levy a 'lost production fee' on states that block drilling in more than half the blocks off their coasts, Representative Paul Gosar, an Arizona Republican, said during a House Natural Resources Committee hearing Thursday.