LITTLE W'S:

OFFSHORE DRILLING: Democrat says ban may not return (JENNIFER A. DLOUHY, Feb. 11, 2009, Houston Chronicle)

A leading Democrat on Wednesday signaled that Congress is unlikely to restore a ban against offshore oil and gas drilling along most of the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, despite pressure from environmental advocates and California fishermen.

“We may be in a situation where the ship has already sailed,” said Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., the chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee. “The political reality may be that the moratorium as we knew it will not be reimposed.”