Senate Vote Shows Strong Support for Leasing Bill

The Senate voted 72 to 23 yesterday to cut off debate on legislation that would open 8.3 million acres in the eastern Gulf of Mexico to new oil and gas drilling.
The cloture vote paves the way for easy passage of the bill before the August recess. It also sets up what is expected to be a hard negotiation with the House, which passed a more expansive measure in June.