This post can also be read at the Freedom’s Watch blog.

The Hill reports the good news that the “Gang of 20” will not be offering an energy bill before Congress leaves for good this fall. Instead, they will offer a “statement of principals” (sic) on a wide range of energy issues.

According to an aide quoted in the story, the Gang will come back next year with a legislative proposal. Lucky for us if we play our cards right we won’t need an energy bill next year. If the president and pro-exploration members of Congress stick to their guns and refuse to go along with a renewal of the offshore ban (which also locks up oil shale fields in the West), it will simply expire on October 1, allowing access to at least 65% of America’s undiscovered, recoverable oil, and 40% of its natural gas

Given Dick Durbin’s comments the other day and the grim economic news, we now have a better than even chance of ending the ban without new taxes, new subsidies, or new regulations. Republicans in Congress and the president must seize it!

Joe Eule