Interior Dept. challenges drilling permit ruling, warns of delayed development

The Hill ^ | 3/05/11 | Ben Geman

[epithermal]

The Obama administration delivered a warning late Friday to a federal judge who’s demanding Interior Department action on deepwater drilling permit applications: Be careful what you wish for.

The Interior Department challenged a Louisiana judge’s orders that require decisions on several industry applications later this month, warning that the court's mandate could force Interior to “deny the applications outright” and divert resources from review of other permit requests.

Interior appealed the orders late Friday and asked for a stay.

In their filing, Justice Department lawyers say that Judge Martin Feldman’s orders could thwart the “efficient development of oil and gas resources on the Outer Continental Shelf, as well as potentially harm the near-term interests of the operators who submitted the subject applications.”

[4Runner]

Sorry--that should read tens of millions--not hundreds of millions

[dusttoyou]

“Hasn’t hindered the socialist a$$ clown or “his people” in two and a half years...”

Such is the power we have placed in the office of the President, to which most Presidents have not dared to go as far as nobama.

In the long run this will not wreck America nor benefit soros, nobama or the “progressives” all whom are enemies of America. As with everything in life, the road is not always smooth and troublefree. Last November’s election renewed my faith in the America people. This srong and resilient country nor the strong American people will not be destroyed by them!

[GBA]

This gives them time to stall even longer while they 'cave in' to demands to start emptying our stored reserve.

This way they can look like they are 'doing something', make a little money off of selling the reserve and we'll be in even greater pain when the serious world oil shortage hits.

[eyedigress]

FU HUSSEIN! Americans are so stupid to put this jackass in power.

[Steely Tom]

will only change price at the pump a few cents for a very short time!! then we have NO Reserves!!! We would be screwed!!

We have plenty of reserves. Bakken, Escalante, Marcellus, North Slope, many others.

Depleting the SPR would simply mean we'd have to tap into our own.

[Gondring]

Gee, what did people think would happen when the judge gave the deadline? It gives BOEMRE every incentive to just say, "Denied until you submit a complete application--we don't have time to negotiate for anything less."

Remember, BOEMRE actually had taken action on 6 of the 7 permits without denying them, telling the submitters that the permits lacked information required by the promulgated regulations and that they could be approved when complete. In fact, they had multiple correspondence over missing information--it's not like they were just sitting and ignoring these applications. And they had found flaws in the seventh application, too.

It's also hilarious that the court system would say:

"Perhaps it is reasonable for permit applicants to wait more than two weeks in a necessarily more closely regulated environment. Delays of four months and more in the permitting process are unreasonable, unacceptable and unjustified by the evidence before the Court."

The Court giving a lecture on backlog?!? ROTFLOL!

Judge Martin Feldman's order [...]

Oh, that explains it! ;-)

(Yes, I know it's actually Martin L.C. Feldman, the judge with all the oil stock.)

I know that this is one way the Administration is delaying drilling, but I sure don't want to say to them, "Fine--go ahead and ignore laws and regulations that have been promulgated by Congress!" Do we really want to say that, even if we know regulators overlook violations all the time and used to issue permits with far less than was officially required?

And how many of those grabbing pitchforks now had filed comments on the regulations the Administration is hiding behind now? I would put money down that the answer is zero.

Conservatives need to take action when regulations get promulgated, not just complain later. We need to stop falling for the "give more power to Obama" ploy. We need to file official comments, not post on FR, blogs, or columns. Otherwise, we play into the Left's hands.

[OneWingedShark]

Just saw on Fox News that Obama is thinking about opening the SPR(Strategic Petroleum Reserve) !! WTF!! What an IDIOT!! that will only change price at the pump a few cents for a very short time!! then we have NO Reserves!!! We would be screwed!! What would he do then re-fill the reserves with $200/barrel oil? what kind of thinking is that?

Actually I think he should do it; it's obvious he hasn't got a clue about money (or generally resource management). And given that fiat money is divorced from any actual resource/commodity there's no reason for him to learn otherwise; they can, and do, always print more.

But with oil we have a physical substance and when it's gone he can't wave his hands and make more magically appear.

This will be felt by the customer/consumer/taxpayer, when the SPR runs dry, as a sudden and massive jump in gasoline/diesel prices.

[quantim]

[4Runner]

Those elected to public office in America are supposed to serve the people. Our founding fathers presumed they were going to to be people who, like themselves, were very imperfect indeed, that is why they designed the federal government with so many checks and balances. As far as “leading the way to truth, beauty, and ethics”, where did you find that as a description of the purpose of holding elective office?

[NTHockey]

For making a legal filing in court?!?!?

Have you read the filing itself? I have. (I know, I know...informed commenting is against the rules these days, it seems.)

It is NOT the legal filing that is in question; but the not-so-subtle threat. Outright rejection by the Interior Department is tantamount to contempt of court, in that the judge ruled that the regime acted unconstitutionally, IN THE FIRST PLACE. Compounding that with outright rejection could lead the judge to rule the rejections themselves as unconstitutional.

I’m still waiting for one state to stand up and say: “F’U, we’re drilling.”

[TribalPrincess2U]

Just think about what would be the best thing for the country and count on the exact opposite out of this administration and you will hit the nail on the head every time!

Amen!

[Williams]

Hold your horses a bit, Gondring. Yes, the administration is playing a “game” here. The delays on the permits are for de minimis reasons which are really excuses. Now the admin ups the ante by saying ok, if you force a decision we’ll just deny them.

Whether that subsequent denial will hold up under judicial reeview is another issue, the next step. But certainly the admin is playing with the applicants and the courts.

What SHOULD we expect the administration to do? Approve the permits and require the additional info within 3-6 months. Or deny the permits but expedite approval asap when the additional info arrives.

That’s what they would do IF they wamted anything other than a de facto stoppage of the drilling permits.

Of all the outrages liberals commit, I have to put their energy destruction policies at the top of the infuriating list.

[RightGeek]

Put some bureaucrats in the cooler for contempt of court

[jimjohn2458]

Very interesting. And how would we go about filing comments?

[epithermal]

You are on fire this morning! I can't argue with your points other than to say the new regulations were passed before the new congress came to power, so what good would it have done to complain to the democrat machine? The democrats even ignored the recommendations of their own scientific panel regarding the drilling moratorium. Remember this little controversy: Drilling Moratorium Violates Panel's Recommendation

[Charles H. (The_r0nin)]

"Fine--go ahead and ignore laws and regulations that have been promulgated by Congress!"

And therein is the lie... Point to any of these regulations "promulgated" by Congress. Congress legislated the power of these various agencies to regulate... but the regulations and requirements are almost entirely of the agencies' device. These regulations are NOT law... if anything they are an unconstitutional delegation of power reserved for Congress. But, like most big government types, you'd like to treat these regulations as if they were the same as constitutionally enacted laws. There is a big difference between regulations developed by a handful of unelected bureaucrats somewhere and laws passed by our elected representatives in Congress. But the liberal Congress of the last 40 years knew that the people would never stand for the draconian regulations they wanted, so they "delegated" and let the bureaucrats do what they couldn't.

I refuse to accept Congress' cowardice and illegality as a fundamental part of our system of government...

[GladesGuru]

“We need to file official comments, not post on FR, blogs, or columns. Otherwise, we play into the Left’s hands.”

With respect, I must call Bravo Sierra on your optimistic line I quoted above.

From a quarter of a century of experience, trust me when I say that AgencyPersons only ask for public and expert input after the program is functionally decided upon.

The comments are then cherry picked.

Antonio Gramsci’s called for communists to take a generation or two detour and take over the agencies and education. His evil and treasonous plan has been actualized.

Talking to an AgencyPerson is like trying to teach a gorilla to write. it frustrates you, and eventually the gorilla just shoves the pencil in your eye.

Forget the “input” and make sure that the TEA Party sweeps out all commies.

Posting on FR reaches the most important population in America, those who know and oppose communism.

[Flag_This]

"Depleting the SPR would simply mean we'd have to tap into our own."

Except this administration is fundamentally opposed to allowing us to tap our own resources.

[PCRit]

Really? Why in the world would you think that this administration would tap our natural reserves in a crisis (even with an empty SPR) when they are blocking drilling now, in spite of a judge’s order. Salazar is blocking new permits in Alaska, Bakken, and canceling existing coal mining permits in W. VA., etc. They don’t care about the law, or what’s best for the country. Obummer is ignoring the courts in FL (healthcare), suing AZ over immigration laws, and ignoring existing laws (DOMA & voting rights violations in Philly). This lawless administration is using its power to “fundamentally change” our country..forever..

[Dr. Sheldon Cooper]

Just saw on Fox News that Obama is thinking about opening the SPR(Strategic Petroleum Reserve) !! WTF!! What an IDIOT!! that will only change price at the pump a few cents for a very short time!! then we have NO Reserves!!! We would be screwed!! What would he do then re-fill the reserves with $200/barrel oil? what kind of thinking is that?

One could be forgiven for considering the possibility that all of Obama's actions have a cohesion and focus of purpose that only makes sense if his goal is to cripple America as a prelude to foreign invasion, in addition to the one already underway from Mexico.