Ten Senate Democrats from coastal states warned in a letter released Thursday that they won't support a climate and energy bill if it permits a big expansion of drilling for offshore oil and natural gas.
The 10 generally are viewed as inclined to vote for a bill to cut the heat-trapping emissions from the use of coal, gas and oil.
Sens. John Kerry, D-Mass., Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Joe Lieberman, an independent from Connecticut, are trying to draft bipartisan legislation that is capable of getting the 60 votes needed in the Senate to overcome a filibuster, but they haven't unveiled it.
The letter, sent Tuesday to Kerry, Graham and Lieberman, is the latest example of how some of the compromises expected in the legislation trouble supporters of environmental protection. Expanded oil and gas drilling is part of the Republican energy platform and essentially has been endorsed by President Barack Obama.
The 10 senators warned that expanded offshore drilling could put their states at risk from oil spills, threatening fisheries, tourism and a "national treasure that needs to be protected for generations to come."
Read the complete story at The Miami Herald.