Rep. John Sarbanes said that offshore drilling demands a single national policy.
"I think you need to be pretty careful about opening it up to a state-by-state decision-making process because you don't know where that will ultimately lead," the Baltimore County Democrat said.
Drilling next door would be too close for Cardin.
"My understanding is that if there was an incident off the coast of Virginia it could very well impact Maryland," he said. "A spill could have a devastating impact on the wildlife on Assateague, as well as to the economic strength of Ocean City.
"The environmental risk is way too great, based upon the expected returns."
The federal government estimates deposits of 15.13 trillion cubic feet of natural gas under the Mid-Atlantic - enough to meet the nation's needs for seven to eight months, at current usage rates. Oil is estimated at 1.5 billion barrels, sufficient to fuel America for about 72 days.
"There's a good feeling that it's out there somewhere," said David Cooke, a geologist with the U.S. Minerals Management Service. "Actually narrowing it down and finding it is the question still needed to be answered."
The deposits would be a small fraction of the reserves found in the Gulf of Mexico and off the northern coast of Alaska, and would likely take 15 to 20 years to find and bring to market, said Cooke.
But if the reserves were confirmed, said Jeff Schrade, a spokesman for the Natural Gas Supply Association, "there could be interest eventually in exploring those areas for development."
Not, however, without opposition. Heavner, of Environment Maryland, a liberal activist group, predicted "an enormous battle."
"You know, we've seen the debate in Florida rage for decades, really, a very high-pitched debate," he said. "I would expect something similar in Maryland, and many other states."
President Bush called again on congressional Democrats to lift the ban on offshore drilling during his weekly radio address yesterday.
"Bringing [Outer Continental Shelf] resources online will take time, and that means that the need for congressional action is urgent," he said. "The sooner Congress lifts the ban, the sooner we can get these resources from the ocean floor to the gas pump. Democratic leaders need to show that they have finally heard the frustrations of the American people."
