It begins: Dem senator wants new drilling off the table for energy bill

Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, said that the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico should force lawmakers to reconsider plans for expanded offshore exploration.

“What I hope is that the offshore drilling, along with the Atlantic and the Gulf, that area is off the table, and there’s no expanded drilling in those areas,” Cardin said during an appearance on the liberal Bill Press radio show.