Poll: Most say offshore ban hurts economy

WASHINGTON, Dec. 6 (UPI) -- Most Americans say the administration ban on offshore drilling along the Eastern seaboard would hurt the economy, a Rasmussen Reports poll indicated.

The results released Monday indicated 54 percent of likely U.S. voters said they believed the ban off the East Coast and the eastern Gulf of Mexico, announced last week would drive up prices and hurt the economy.

Only 15 percent of voters said they thought the ban would be good for the economy, while 20 percent said it would have no impact, Rasmussen said.

The administration lifted a long-time ban on offshore drilling in March, but almost immediately restored it after the BP oil disaster in the gulf. Recently, a ban was lifted on drilling in the central and western portions of the Gulf but remained in effect in the eastern Gulf and along the East Coast for at least seven years, pending further study of what caused the BP leak, officials said.

Results are based on a nationwide survey of 1,000 likely voters conducted on Friday and Saturday. The margin of error is 3 percentage points.