http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121910897089651793.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

WASHINGTON — The 110th Congress, whose term officially ends in January, hasn’t passed any spending bills or attacked high gasoline prices. But it has used its powers to celebrate watermelons and to decree the origins of the word “baseball.”

Barring a burst of legislative activity after Labor Day, this group of 535 men and women will have accomplished a rare feat. In two decades of record keeping, no sitting Congress has passed fewer public laws at this point in the session — 294 so far — than this one. That’s not to say they’ve been idle. On the flip side, no Congress in the same 20 years has been so prolific when it comes to proposing resolutions — more than 1,900, according to a tally by the nonpartisan Taxpayers for Common Sense. Read the full article

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/aug/18/high-gas-prices-drive-support-for-drilling/

Coloradans, like many Americans, like to heap scorn on oil and gas companies. Even so, they appear to back more drilling in the state, believing it will cut gas prices and dependence on foreign oil.

Those are the conflicting findings of a Rocky Mountain News/ CBS 4 News poll of 500 registered voters conducted Aug. 11-13, reflecting the two minds voters bring to the questions, pollsters said. Read the full article

Des Moines, IA – American Future Fund (AFF) today launched its latest television ad, “Oil Resources,” calling on Congressman Mark Udall to support HR 6108, which will help reduce energy prices by allowing for a vote on offshore drilling.

“While the U.S. House and Senate are on a five week vacation, AFF will not sit idly by while meaningful energy legislation continues to be ignored,” said AFF Communications Director Tim Albrecht. “Whether it is the volatile Middle East, or recent events in Eastern Europe, the United States Congress must wake up and realize what is at stake. The American people recognize we need energy independence. Why won’t Congress follow their lead?” Read the full article

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/pelosi-indicates-openness-to-offshore-drilling-vote-2008-08-11.html

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Monday night dropped her staunch opposition to a vote on offshore oil drilling in the House.

Republicans, reacting to high gas prices, have demanded a vote on additional oil exploration in the Outer Continental Shelf, where drilling is currently blocked by a moratorium. Until now, Pelosi (D-Calif.) has resisted the idea as a “hoax.” But in an interview on CNN’s Larry King Live, she indicated that she was open to a vote.

“They have this thing that says drill offshore in the protected areas,” Pelosi said. “We can do that. We can have a vote on that.”

She indicated such a vote would have to be part of a larger package that included other policies, like releasing oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, which she said could bring down prices in a matter of days. Read the full article