Posted on 03/31/2010 7:38:21 AM PDT by Maelstorm
President Obama used his January State of the Union speech to promise "a new generation of safe, clean nuclear power plants" and "new offshore areas for oil and gas development." Judging by its recent decisions, we'd say his Cabinet hasn't received the memo.
Congress's ban on offshore drilling expired in September 2008, and a Bush Administration plan for leasing the energy-rich Outer Continental Shelf was due to begin this year. Yet within a month of taking office, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar halted leasing by extending the public comment period by six months. When that period ended last September, Interior said it would take "several weeks" to analyze the results. It has yet to release a summary.
Newt Gingrich's American Solutions group used the Freedom of Information Act to obtain Interior emails suggesting that the public comments ran 2-to-1 in favor of drilling. Instead of acknowledging this, Mr. Salazar last week informed Congress he was scrapping the Bush plan and that leasing will not begin for at least another two years.
The Administration failed to meet a deadline last month for submitting a court-ordered analysis of the environmental impact of new leases off the Alaskan coast. And in January, Mr. Salazar rebuffed Virginia's request—endorsed by its governor and legislature—to allow drilling offshore. Sensing a pattern?
Onshore, meanwhile, Interior canceled oil and gas leases on 77 parcels of federal land in Utah (a handful have since been reinstated). Mr. Salazar also yanked eight parcels from a lease sale in Wyoming. Several weeks ago a leaked Interior Department memo disclosed plans to have Mr. Obama use executive power—under the Antiquities Act—to designate 10 million acres of western land as "monuments," putting them off-limits to energy development as well as current timber or mining work.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Obama can then stand back and say, "Hey, I - was willing - to let them - drill - but the states - and the people - said no!" (The dashes are turns of the head from left TOTUS to Right TOTUS)
If these morons in this administration do not kill us with healthcare and lack of medical attention down the road, they will kill us with stupid decisions in drilling offshore and not being dependent on our own resources.
Just when you think they can’t get any more stupid the Dems trip all over themselves and do so.
Ping.
Another worthless piece of STUPAK.
There will be “several years” of environmental studies, followed by lawfare from Eco groups before the first lease is awarded. Then round two starts with “several years” of environmental studies, followed by lawfare from Eco groups before any permits are issued. Then round three starts with “several years” of environmental studies, followed by lawfare from Eco groups.....
And on and on and on...
I have to admit, when I read the first headlines last night I was thinking, “wow, very smart on 0’s part, taking a talking point away.” But as the news is filtering out all I can think, “way to go 0, you are opening yourself for a major broadside.” This pussyfooting on energy is reminiscent of foreign policy.
Apparently, his very next move is going to be an “Executive Order” (actually a “Presidential Decision Directive” or PDD) to authorize the EPA to enact and enforce cost-prohibitive CO2 standards that will instantly make the aforementioned offshore extraction too expensive to actually perform.
He'll keep the Luddite Greenies happy because the “Evil Oil Companies” (once again being demonized by his eager supplicants in the state-run media for "driving up prices" as we speak) won't be able to pull any product out of the ground. They'll protest on cue of course - just because they like the sound of their own voices. But he's already bought them off with his stealth Cap 'n Trade end-around CO2 decision. anyway, so they won't be too loud.
Plus, he'll get a propaganda victory with the rest of his ignorant minions who are too stupid to understand actual energy economics and will say (well, probably shout) that the illustrious Obama opened up offshore drilling in dire times when Bush didn't/wouldn't/couldn't.
Anyway you look at it, it's a lose/lose for the rest of us.
Energy bump for later.......
Good post
Stuart Varney on Fox says they are about to announce EPA CO2 regulations. Does Obama believe his bad faith drilling announcements will make up for that?
Maybe it would be good for us if they did regulate CO2. That would make November even worse for Dems and 2012 worse for Obama. Unfortunately, we won’t get 60 senate seats to make Obama veto a bill to slap down the EPA, but if Obama goes ahead with CO2 BS, maybe he wants to go out in a 4 year blaze of anti-business “glory.”
When do we get to defund the EPA?
I am no Rhodes Scholar, but I think they call that a "Zero Sum" gain...
Actually, it's less than zero sum, since there will no doubt be more than a couple of lawsiuts for the Virginia declaration of drilling..
Il Douche’ is convinced he is god. God doesn’t have to think of those things.
I can’t wait to see this dumb ass back on the sidewalks of Chicago.
Not to mention the EPA, Dept. of Interior, and any other excuse Obama can find in the powers of the executive branch.
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