Our nations leaders give us lot’s of lip service on the need to lessen our dependence on foreign oil. But, at every turn our leaders at the national level refuse to allow anything which will get the United States on track to lower that our dependence.

On Thursday, our not so esteemed United States House of Representitives voted to continue the 25 year old federal ban on off-shore drilling. Th story is reported here through the AP:

WASHINGTON (AP) — Despite talk of an energy crisis and the need for independence from foreign oil, Congress seems to be in no mood to open more of the country’s coastal waters to energy development.

The House late Thursday rejected an attempt to end the quarter-century ban on oil and natural gas drilling that has been in effect for 85 percent of the country’s coastal waters from Alaska to New England despite arguments that new supplies are needed to lower energy costs.

Couple the drilling ban with the windmill ban, which I’ve written about here, here, and here, and we will never make a dent in in our dependence on foreign (ie Saudi) oil.

Someday we’ll get a clue.