The Obama Moratorium: No offshore drilling while he’s in office

Washington Examiner ^ | 03/10/10 1:19 PM EST | Barbara Hollingsworth

[Former Military Chick]

The Obama administration’s six-month delay in approving new offshore drilling leases in federal waters will become a new three-year ban, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar quietly told reporters last Friday. Which means that no new oil and gas leases will be approved during President Obama’s term even though two –thirds of the American public supports such activity, according to a December 2009 Rasmussen poll.

Sixty percent also believe that gas and oil prices will drop if the government allows offshore drilling, opening up an estimate 14 billion barrels of oil and 55 trillion cubic feet of natural gas

On July 14, 2008 President George W. Bush lifted an executive ban on Outer Continental Shelf leasing. On October 1, 2008, in a bipartisan agreement, Congress lifted another longstanding ban on new oil and gas leasing in the OCS.

Drilling was supposed to begin this July. But Salazar said he intends to discard the 2010-2015 lease plan developed by the Bush administration in favor of a new plan that won’t even go into effect until 2012.

“Secretary Salazar has finally confirmed what had long been feared – that the Obama Administration has no intention of opening up new areas for offshore drilling during his four-years in office,” said Rep. Doc Hastings, the ranking Republican on the House Natural Resources Committee.

So for the next three years and probably more, trillions of dollars in domestic energy assets will remain untouched while billions of dollars more are spent on foreign oil.

[Argus]

The Saudis are really getting their money’s worth from this guy.

[throwback]

Just like when he talked about nuclear energy. He’s for it because he knows without Yucca mountain there isn’t going to be any new plants in any case. Like when he talked about coal fired plants. He said you could build them, but the government would make their operation so costly that there would be no point. He’s a clever fella, he is.

[dblshot]

This will punish the red state of Texas, particularily Houston. New finds in Gulf of Mexico need development. Meanwhile Brazil will advance its offshore efforts, and the Chinese will drill in Cubian waters near Florida. I am really starting to wonder if this administration hates people like me so much they are willing to destroy me and everything good about this country in their quest to remake society. Closing down NASA will be a big hit on the Houston economy too.

[Candor7]

O think we need a drill rig set up on the white house lawn.

Dirty Rotton Bastard!

His Muslin overseers have him well trained.Sarah Palin just went up 2000 per cent.

[Former Military Chick]

GMTA, I just made a similar reply to another member. He is clever but he is going to really tick off the average American over this and where is the coverage.

I encourage folks to send this to their local papers. Local networks. Might be the only way to get regular American’s to hear about it. They wont from the MSM.

Great comment, thank you.

[Truth is a Weapon]

Yep it is really going to help the Dems come November if gas hits $4.00 again this summer.

[Former Military Chick]

PING

[silverleaf]

How about just a carbon tax on South Carolina? They must support this, since their idiot senator does.

(At $7 per gallon how many folks are gonna drive to Myrtle Beach...?)

[Signalman]

Obama doesn’t care what “the peasants” want. He’s got a far-left agenda to complete, and if it means higher fuel prices and America becoming weak(er), so be it.

[SunkenCiv]

I won’t say it. :’)

Thanks Former Military Chick.

[Former Military Chick]

You ask an interesting question. This is where the public should write their congress critter's and ask them to look into this, than contact their local state officials and see what they are going to do.

I mean states AG’s were pursuing whether HC was legal why not this?

[Ticonderoga34]

The Saudis are really getting their money’s worth from this guy.

I was thinking that Barry is just helping his Middle Eastern buddies.

[traintown57]

I would like to see states stand up to the feds and drill away.

I wish they would stand up to them in a lot of ways. We are a republic. The Founding Fathers intended the states to have more power than the federal gov't. I wonder how the Supreme Court would react to these power struggles.

[denydenydeny]

Repaying his Saudi patrons.

[eyedigress]

My brother swears republicans control the oil. I can’t wait to blast his libtard ass on all of this.

[Gator113]

When will enough be enough with this filthy bastard?

I do not want Obama IMPEACHED... I want him IMPRISONED.

[Lions Gate]

Another incredibly stupid decision by Obammy.

This kind of crap hurts all Americans with higher oil & gas prices, more money drained from America to buy foreign oil, and less jobs in the oil & gas industry.

Great, just great. Twist that dagger in America’s back a little more won’t you Obammy.

[Sequoyah101]

And for the next act, declaration of suspension of activity and subjection of all exploration and development activities to a new environmental impact assessment.

MMS is acting increasingly distant.

Bet?

[353FMG]

>>This guy’s amazing.<<

.
No, he’s not — we are, for having him in the WH without even knowing who he is.

[Will88]

And the only different policy the Republican's 2008 nominee proposed was to allow new offshore exploration IF the state involved approved. And, of course, most states where no new drilling had taken place for years would not have approved. We definitely need future candidates who do not agree with most of Obama's major policies.