WASHINGTON, July 29 (UPI) -- Democrats are split on a plan by U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., aimed at protecting them in the face of controversial oil drilling proposals.
A number of Senate and U.S. House of Representatives Democrats have sided with environmental groups against Reid's plan to allow additional offshore areas to be opened to oil exploration and drilling. Reid had hoped the proposal would insulate Senate Democratic Party candidates from public anger over rising gas prices, The Hill, a Washington newspaper, reported Tuesday.