The oil industry, its lobbyists and its Congressional allies are predictably furious at the Obama administration’s decision not to allow exploratory oil drilling in the eastern Gulf of Mexico and off the Atlantic coast. The decision was unquestionably the right one.
The industry and its well-paid allies say that delaying drilling will increase America’s dependence on foreign oil. That ignores a simple truth: A nation using one-quarter of the world’s oil while controlling only 3 percent of the world’s known reserves cannot drill its way to independence. The estimated 7.5 billion barrels the eastern gulf and Atlantic coast are thought to contain are just about what this country consumes in a year.
Read more from this excellent NY Times editorial.
Today, the Obama administration announced that there will be no new offshore oil drilling in federal waters in the Pacific, Atlantic and Eastern Gulf for the next seven years.
This is a major victory for all those who have fought hard (see NTA partner list) to prevent new offshore drilling since the federal and executive moratoriums were not renewed in the fall of 2008.
Until today, the last 2 years have been full of bad news.
At the 11th hour the Bush administration proposed opening all coasts to drilling.
Despite massive opposition and no real evidence domestic drilling would help solve our energy crisis, in March 2010 the Obama administration proposed open vast tracts of ocean to offshore drilling.
We all know what followed… the largest offshore oil spill in world history.
Thankfully, Salazar and Obama seemed to have learned from the Gulf oil spill, listened to the science, and the continued public opposition to new offshore drilling and have decided that there will be no new offshore drilling lease tracts opened in the Pacific, Atlantic and eastern Gulf for the next 7 years.
Although this is great news and a major step towards protecting out coasts from the threats of offshore drilling, some really critical issues remain. This recent announcement potentially opens the Atlantic to harmful seismic testing and allows for new drilling in Alaska. Further, we cannot forget that hundreds of Gulf Shore communities continue to struggle to recover from this nation’s most devastating environmental disaster.
Read the Department of Interior’s press release and supporting documents here
Read an ABC news story here.
NATIONAL
Interior Secretary Sees Offshore Leasing Plan in 30-45 Dayshttp://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20100219-713491.html?mod=WSJ_World_MIDDLEHeadlinesEurope
Salazar closes in on offshore drilling decision
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/677-e2-wire/82385-salazar-closes-in-on-offshore-drilling-decision
CALIFORNIA
Oil company spending lavishly to get around Carpinteria law
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-hiltzik21-2010feb21,0,3506662.column
This is proposed onshore drilling, but it affects coastal and offshore resources.
FLORIDA
Florida legislators consider lifting ban on offshore drilling
http://www.theolympian.com/2010/02/19/1144607/florida-legislators-consider-lifting.html
VIRGINIA
Va. Senate backs bill to send offshore-drilling cash to transportation, environment
http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/state_regional/state_regional_govtpolitics/article/DRILGAT22_20100222-130201/326049/
“What a difference a few days makes. Voting 21-19, the Virginia Senate today backed legislation earmarking cash from offshore oil and gas exploration for education, the environment and transportation. The Democrat-controlled Senate had rejected a similar bill earlier in the 2010 session, largely to send a message to Gov. Bob McDonnell to go public on his remedy to the state’s fiscal crisis. The House bill passed this afternoon and the defeated Senate measure are largely symbolic measures. That’s because it will be years, if ever, before Virginia sees royalties from offshore drilling.”
Uncertainty not worth spoiling coast
http://www2.dailyprogress.com/cdp/news/opinion/columnists/article/uncertainty_not_worth_spoiling_coast/52592/
NORTHEAST
Tribes concerned about loss of fishing due to oil spills
http://www.capecodtoday.com/blogs/index.php/2010/02/22/tribes-concerned-about-loss-of-fishing-d?blog=53
“After having been essentially excluded from the commercial fishery in Nova Scotia for some time, Aboriginal fishermen have seen a dramatic growth in their ranks in the past ten years and they are worried that this productive period could come to an abrupt end by the dangers posed by recent moves to approve oil and gas production on Georges Bank.”
