House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), a major opponent of oil and natural gas production in the United States and advocate of green fuels, has called on Vice President Dick Cheney to use his “considerable influence” to get OPEC nations to increase their oil production during his trip to the Middle East.

“Your upcoming trip to the Middle East provides an opportunity for you, on behalf of the Bush administration, to call upon your considerable influence with OPEC nations to encourage oil-producing countries to increase their oil production,” she wrote in a letter delivered to Cheney Thursday. “This must be another critical step as part of a comprehensive plan here at home to lower energy costs for the American consumer,” Pelosi said.

“It amazes me that the Speaker of the House wants to increase our dependence on OPEC, while she continues to lead the charge to keep our own vast resources of oil and natural gas under lock and key,” said Rep. John Peterson (R-PA), who strongly supports lifting the 27-year-old congressional moratorium on drilling in much of the federal Outer Continental Shelf (OCS).

As a member of the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, Peterson said he plans in coming weeks to offer amendments to the Interior appropriations bill to open offshore reserves by removing the ban on offshore leasing. He has tried several times in past years to have the moratorium lifted, but has been defeated.

©Copyright 2008Intelligence Press Inc. All rights reserved. The preceding news reportmay not be republished or redistributed, in whole or in part, in anyform, without prior written consent of Intelligence Press, Inc.