The Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) gives the Department of Interior authority over oil and gas leasing activities along the nation's coastlines. In considering proposals for oil and gas drilling, the Secretary of the Interior must accept recommendations of coastal state governors concerning environmentally sensitive areas, unless the Secretary determines that the national interest outweighs the state's interest. In recent years, states and environmentalists have been frequently dissatisfied with Interior's handling of this program, resulting in many lawsuits and drilling moratoriums.

In this vote, Sen. Domenici (R-NM) sought to table (kill) an amendment by Sens. Wilson (R-CA) and Cranston (D-CA) to require the Secretary of the Interior to give equal weight to environmental impacts and economic benefits in deciding whether to override a state's objections to offshore drilling leases. This amendment would have made it harder for the Secretary to reject a governor's recommendations.

Motion to table accepted 53-35; March 14, 1986. NO is the pro-environmental vote. (Domenici Motion to table Wilson-Cranston Amendment, H.R. 3128, FY '86 Omnibus Budget Reconciliation.) The Reagan Administration supported the motion to table.