On Tuesday, the Senate voted 71 to 25 to approve a bill directing the Interior Department to begin selling leases for oil and gas development in about 8 million acres of the Gulf of Mexico. Environmentalists opposed the bill, but Republican senators said the legislation was the first step toward increasing domestic oil and gas production. Chafee voted in favor of the bill.

But Whitehouse, who agrees with moderate Chafee on a number of issues, opposes the bill and is publicizing this difference in opinion. "Not only does it needlessly endanger environmentally sensitive areas of the Gulf of Mexico, but it does so to drill for oil that won't reach American markets for years or make a real dent in our need for imports," Whitehouse said of the legislation.

In a statement, the Whitehouse campaign pointed out the different votes Chafee has supported since 2001 that would allow drilling in the Gulf. The statement also noted that Sen. Jack Reed, the other senator from Rhode Island, who is a Democrat, voted against drilling in the Gulf. "Today's vote is another stark reminder that to change our energy policy, we have to change the Senate--with new Democratic leadership that will seek real solutions to our energy crisis," Whitehouse said.