Interior proposes 73 million acres for drilling in Gulf Of Mexico

[DonViejo]

Source: International Business Times



07 MAR 2017 AT 12:32 ET

The Department of the Interior announced Monday a proposal that would lease 73 million acres in the Gulf of Mexico for oil and gas exploration and development later this year, according to a statement. The massive amount of acreage, spread out across Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas’ shores, would first be put up for sale on Aug. 16 and it would also include “all available unleased areas in federal waters” in the gulf, the statement read.

“Opening more federal lands and waters to oil and gas drilling is a pillar of President Trump’s plan to make the United States energy independent,” Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke said in a statement. “The Gulf is a vital part of that strategy to spur economic opportunities for industry, states, and local communities, to create jobs and home-grown energy and to reduce our dependence on foreign oil.”

The first sale will take place in New Orleans. The sales fall under the 2017-2022 Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program, a five-year program that first began its approval process in June 2014 and whose schedule was eventually approved by Zinke’s predecessor, Sally Jewell on Jan. 17.

The new proposal, the first for Zinke under President Donald Trump, is similar to that of former President Barack Obama’s, which called for the lease of 66 million acres in the gulf, the Washington Post reported. Obama previously banned drilling in the Artic and Atlanta oceans for five years shortly before he left office but left the Gulf of Mexico, and specifically Florida, freed up for drilling.

Read more: http://www.rawstory.com/2017/03/interior-proposes-73-million-acres-for-drilling-in-gulf-of-mexico/

[Javaman]

1. aka slant drill into Mexican oil fields. nt

[Mendocino]

3. I drink your milkshake

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[matt819]

2. Ho hum - Or, oh shit

Ho hum - As the article observes, this is an increase of 10% of the lease area approved by President Obama. So, it's not as if this is an increase from zero. As a layman, I see this as a relatively modest increase. And this is spread over 5 years.

Oh, shit - The entire Gulf of Mexico totals 393,600,000 acres (according to information pulled of a website, so it must be accurate). I don't know how much of this belongs to Mexico. But ignoring that for a moment, that's about 20% of the entire GoM at risk, and a much larger percentage of the GoM belonging to the US under exploration and at risk. The risk part is exacerbated by the removal of environmental protection.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

4. "Obama previously banned drilling in the Artic and Atlanta oceans for five years...."

Take that, General Sherman.

[TeamPooka]

5. The United States of Exxon. nt

[packman]

6. That "energy independent" Bull shit

"Opening more federal lands and waters to oil and gas drilling is a pillar of President Trump’s plan to make the United States energy independent,”

The average U.S. citizen thinks that all of that oil/gas will be for ONLY U.S. consumption - don't they realize that all oil/gas/energy is now sold on a global market. The only reason for that expansion is to enrich the oil companies selling the oil they get out of America's Gulf waters in that they will sell it to other oil dependent countries .

[logosoco]

7. gee, if only there was some large object out in space that had power

enough to harness. That would be really something. We would be energy independent and doing this planet a big favor. Plus it would probably create a lot of jobs to change over to this system. If only we could just find it!!!!! I can't look right now because there is a big bright thing emitting a lot of light outside my window.

[klook]

8. What could go wrong?

Oh yeah.


Crude oil covered shorelines of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas
(http://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/108647/bp-shares-jump-as-it-settles-at-12bn-for-gulf-of-mexico-spill-108647.html)

[mpcamb]

11. This where it happened for those with a short memory.... (Perfect picture by the way)

And I'm not going far out on a limb to say it'll happen again.
Get ZINKE and his grab-ass buddy LYNN out of Interior.
Get these industry shill out of government. They have no business making policy.
The results of policy that will effect people for decades and give wrist slaps to corporate villains.
This is a crock!
Congressional Dems need to oppose it as such.

[MBS]

9. NO!!!!

Will we have a planet left by the time these people are done trashing our government and our environment?

[JudyM]

10. +1. Profoundly irresponsible.

[MBS]

12. I agree one million percent. n/t

[briv1016]

13. Just wait till they open up the entire east and west coast.

The question is, will Donald "give" Vlad the Arctic?

[Sunlei]

17. Arctic is a global agreement. doubt even republicans would want a "free for all" out there.

[briv1016]

18. I didn't say it'd be a "free for all," I said Putin would get it.

Or else the Golden Showers teaser trailer gets released.

[Sunlei]

19. Putin, Russia and many other countries already 'take' what they can out there. Its harder now becaus

because we have technology today that spots the giant fish trawlers, spots whalers, spots poachers capturing beluga whales, killer whales et all. and selling what they poach to marine 'parks' in countries with no moral values at all.

[adigal]

14. Ah, well, they all voted for Trump so any spill will hurt their economy

It's too goddamn bad we can't get all of the animals and plant life they are going to kill out of those states, too.

[kimbutgar]

15. Red states are going to pay for voting rethug

I see more dead zones in the Gulf and sicker people who will lose healthcare.

Voting rethug has consequences.

[Sunlei]

16. guarantee republicans will NEVER be able to get oil corp to pay for clean-up like Obama did.

good bye Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas’ shores and tourist industry. fishing industry good bye.