Should the U.S. drill for oil offshore? In response to soaring energy prices, Congress lifted a longtime ban but is likely to reconsider the issue next year.

• Position: DEBATE

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YES America's energy challenges have been decades in the making, and there's no easy way to solve them. But one thing we can do immediately is to allow more offshore oil drilling.

In September, Congress lifted--at least, temporarily--its ban on deep-water exploration and drilling in an area known as the outer continental shelf. [Offshore drilling has been allowed in other areas like the Gulf of Mexico.] I believe the U.S. coastline should remain open to oil drilling.

In the 26 years since the ban was imposed in 1982, technological advances have almost eliminated the safety and environmental concerns that were behind the moratorium.

The ban has long blocked the recovery of an estimated 18 billion barrels of oil. Tapping this resource would be a key step in addressing the global changes in the oil market that have caused the recent increase in oil prices.

Oil prices are being driven up by increased demand around the world, and the U.S. must deal with this new energy reality. Our dependence on oil imports leaves us vulnerable to shifts in the global marketplace. The way to reduce that dependence is to develop more domestic energy resources.

Offshore drilling will not increase our oil supplies tomorrow. But it will send a strong signal to the market and to other oil-producing nations--and that will reduce prices in the long run.

America's overall energy policy is to diversify our energy supplies and suppliers and to invest in new, clean technologies and increased energy efficiency. These are, however, long-term solutions. In the short run, America will continue to need more oil for the bulk of its energy demands.

--SAMUEL W. BODMAN, U.S. Secretary of Energy

NO Americans are justifiably outraged that they've been paying $3.50 or $4 a gallon for gas, while ExxonMobil makes more profits than any corporation in history...