It is what it is, a political battle between both parties, democrats and republicans when it comes to drilling for off-shore oil.  Some folks are emotional over it.  The problem is that the price of oil is up because of supply & demand along with our dollar's price falling.  China & India are importing more oil from the same places the US has been for years.  Demand goes up and the supply hasn't changed to meet that demand.  The falling dollar because of borrowing for the US wars has made the price even higher.  There are a few choices to this.  Alternative energies aren't enough to meet the demand yet.  Solar and wind is a supplement, not a complete alternative.  They're not as efficient as other resources.  Nuclear power is very efficient, but the waste is a future issue to deal with.  Drilling for more oil introduces more supply to the demand.  Critics say that it'll take 10 years to finally get it on the market.  The very threat of self-indepedence made OPEC lower the prices before and the threat to do it again, may not do as much as before.  The problem isn't oil, it's energy.  The US government has tried to control how much energy you use.  They want you to feel bad for using energy to get whatever goal or task done.  Will you use hydrogen when it comes out?  Are you one advocating alternative energies?  Will you be the engineer who'll invent something to put on the market as an energy source strong  enough to rival our current sources?  There are a lot of critics who pick certain statistics and information to prove their point that we can't drill our way out.  It's like Christians picking a few pieces of evidence, disregarding the rest, to prove that creation is the way it is. 

The Democrats didn't want to vote on this issue.  The Republicans would use it as a political tool as well.  It would hurt the democrats in office if they voted against this and it would embolden the Republicans.  Most people aren't familiar with how oil works.  Most think the same people who deliver them gas and oil are evil.  When we tax the oil companies, they pass the taxes onto you.  When you tax the windfall profits, they pass this tax onto you.  Carter did it and failed.  It created a shortage (google it).  The oil issue comes to no surprise.  A few democratic leaders said to leave the US environment alone and drill in other parts of the world, not the US, to achieve more oil. 

It comes down to power and control.  Both groups are struggling for power.  It is up to you to do the research and decide what is best.  Do you quit your job and hope for a new job to come along? Or do you work your current job while looking for alternatives?  The decision is yours.