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S.C. lawmakers relent on energy, economy |
WASHINGTON — In a dazzlingly short span of days, South Carolina Democrats and Republicans in Congress caved on two of their core issues last week.Bowing to relentless pressure from Republicans, Democratic congressional leaders agreed to let the 26-year-old congressional ban on offshore oil and natural gas drilling expire Tuesday, when the federal fiscal year ends.Meanwhile, President Bush was pushing fellow Republicans in Congress to pass a massive financial-services bailout that would dwarf in cost any government program since the Depression-era New Deal.The move to allow offshore drilling has angered environmentalists who form a key constituency for Democrats.“The environmental community is united in its opposition to drilling,” said Anna Aurilio, who heads the Washington office of Environment America.
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