Drilling a sensitive topic in N.J. races

New Jersey, eager to continue getting revenue from its 127 miles of tourist-friendly ocean beaches, has generally inspired its elected officials to oppose offshore oil drilling.

FILE PHOTO

New Jersey, eager to continue getting revenue from its tourist-friendly beaches, has generally inspired its elected officials to oppose offshore oil drilling.

The recent spike in gasoline prices, however, may be causing some New Jersey Republicans to reconsider their stance, making offshore drilling an issue in November's House and Senate races.

"This issue can be the bogeyman in this campaign, because there's a coalition of very diverse interests opposed to offshore drilling in this state," said Brigid C. Harrison, a political scientist at Montclair State University. Those interests range from environmentalists to business groups, she said.

Environmental matters have generally been important to New Jersey voters, but the economic situation now ranks as the top issue, ahead of the Iraq war, according to results of an exit poll conducted among primary voters in February for The Associated Press and the television networks.

Harrison said Democrats can use the specter of oil-fouled beaches as a bludgeon, even if their opponent opposes offshore drilling, because the GOP's presumptive presidential nominee, John McCain, endorses it.

President Bush this month revitalized the issue by lifting an executive ban on such exploration, although Congress would have to take similar action, and a state would have to approve drilling.

Some shifting positions among New Jersey's 13 House members came to light last week, when House Republicans killed a Democratic plan designed to spur drilling on already available federal lands in Alaska, the West and the western Gulf of Mexico. Republicans said the "use it or lose it" rule on leases already held by oil companies would do little to boost exploration. They renewed their demand to open up the Atlantic and Pacific coasts and the eastern Gulf of Mexico to exploration.

Rep. Scott Garrett, R-Wantage, has not opposed drilling and voted with most of his party members. He was joined this time by fellow New Jersey GOP members Mike Ferguson, Rodney Frelinghuysen and Jim Saxton. Only Garrett and Frelinghuysen are seeking re-election.

The state's two other Republican House members, Frank LoBiondo and Chris Smith, voted with Democrats. New Jersey has seven Democratic House members, and all supported the measure except Rep. Rob Andrews, who did not vote.

Political scientist Joseph R. Marbach said that Garrett, whose district is in the northern Highlands, and Frelinghuysen, whose district is mostly in the suburbs of Essex and Morris counties, are unlikely to get much voter backlash.

"I don't think offshore drilling necessarily resonates with voters who are inland. If they are paying $4 a gallon for gasoline, they are open to different ideas on how to bring down the price of gas and the price of oil," said Marbach, dean of arts and sciences at Seton Hall University. "Offshore drilling is really not going to be a motivating factor for most voters, especially those not living near the coast."

Garrett campaign manager Amanda Gasperino declined to comment on the congressman's recent vote, but said he supports "deep-sea exploration" along with other sources such as solar, wind and biofuel to meet the nation's energy needs.

Garrett's Democratic challenger, Dennis Shulman, wants scientists to assess where drilling would be most useful, said his campaign manager, Jeff Hauser.

However, "We don't want someone drilling right off the New Jersey Shore and harming our beaches," Hauser said.

Messages seeking comment from Frelinghuysen or his campaign were not immediately returned.

His Democratic challenger, Tom Wyka, said he would have voted in favor of having oil companies use existing leases.

"Why is there such a push at this point, in this administration's waning lifespan, to grab more leases, when it looks like the industry has not taken advantage of everything that's been given to it?" he said.

In a statement, Democratic Sen. Frank Lautenberg said, "The Bush-McCain oil drilling plan is a sham and a giveaway to Big Oil that will not bring down gas prices and could devastate New Jersey's environment and the coastal economy."

He faces former Republican Rep. Dick Zimmer, who said he would again "support a ban on oil and gas leases off our coast because of the risks they pose to our environment and our economy."

In a statement, he said the bill considered last week in the House "would have at best a marginal benefit because oil and gas companies already have to surrender their leases if they are not producing within five or 10 years."

Compiled for Shore1 by Jim Shafer