The Capitol Hill debate on domestic drilling hears a lot of opinions from a lot of sources, including a claim from the Department of the Interior’s Minerals Management Service that most of the oil off the Pacific Coast is within 25 miles of shore – meaning there is little benefit to a House bill expanding offshore exploration to between 50 and 100 miles off the coast.
Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO) rejects the claims of the Minerals Management Service, which has been caught up in an ethics scandal – a scandal that includes accepting gifts from oil companies, cocain use, and sexual misconduct. McCaskill says the "Drill here, drill now" case is being made by Republicans looking for a political issue.
McCaskill says the agency suffers from a lack of credibility because of the actions of some of its members. She says the information is suspect.