House passes bill to force offshore lease sales this year in Gulf and off coast of Virginia

The House passed legislation Thursday to require the Obama administration to move ahead this year with lease sales — three in the Gulf of Mexico and one off the coast of Virginia — that were canceled by the administration after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

The vote was 266-149, with 33 Democrats – including Rep. Cedric Richmond, D-New Orleans – voting “yes” and 2 Republicans voting “no.”

The administration opposed the bill which it said would “hastily open areas of the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic using outdated (National Environmental Policy Act) analysis that was conducted before the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.”

Read more: House passes bill to force offshore lease sales this year in Gulf and off coast of Virginia

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