Rep. Ernest Istook (R-OK) late Monday planned to offer an amendment to the House Rules Committee to repeal the moratorium on drilling in the eastern Gulf of Mexico when oil imports reach two-thirds of U.S. consumption, a spokeswoman said.

At press time, the rules committee had not decided whether Istook could introduce the measure as part of the House debate later this week on the $26.1 billion appropriations bill for the Department of Interior, Environment and Related Agencies for fiscal 2006. The House rules panel selects the amendments that can be offered during floor debate on a bill, as well as establishes the rules for debate.

Istook offered the amendment last week during mark-up of the spending bill by the House Appropriations Committee, but then quickly withdrew it. His intent at the time was to just raise the issue, said Micah Leydorf, spokeswoman for the congressman. The moratorium “has been in place without question [for decades]. He believes it needs to reexamined,” she noted.

Rep. John Peterson (R-PA) isn’t expected to offer on the House floor this week an amendment dealing with the assessment of natural gas resources on the Outer Continental Shelf, which he had brought up during committee mark-up last week, Congressional Green Sheets reported. But the House lawmaker was said to be “still looking at his options” to offer another proposal on the subject, a spokesman for Peterson said.

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