Government set to unveil offshore drilling plan

[mia]

Source: Reuters


- The Obama administration is expected to announce by Wednesday its updated plan for oil and natural gas drilling in U.S. waters, including whether to allow exploration for the first time along the U.S. East Coast.

The plan could pave the way for a significant new domestic source of energy, helping to reduce U.S. dependence on oil imports and boost supplies of natural gas used to displace coal in power plants as the country works to reduce emissions of climate-changing greenhouse gases.

Last month, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said he wanted to release the updated drilling plan by the end of March.

Two industry sources said on Monday President Barack Obama was expected to give a speech about energy security on Wednesday, which could include his views on expansion of offshore drilling....



Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE62T06520100330

[Newsjock]

1. So you accumulated all that political capital last week, and now you want to piss it all away?

F*ck 21st-century "bipartisanism."

[Captain Hilts]

2. He's been all over this issue....nt

[villager]

4. Apparently too many disaffected Democracts were starting to re-warm to him

Can't have that though, can we?

Back to doing everything we can to insure Dems stay home during the midterm elections...

[DJ13]

3. More conservative pandering?

Or (I hate to say this) is Obama just finally showing us his true conservative nature?

[cstanleytech]

35. Or......maybe he just had a dose of reality???

That meaning that the fact is we still need sources of energy for our nation especially with the instability the middle-east is usually in.
Mind you that doesnt mean we have to like that their drilling offshore because it does have potential risks to ocean life but to be honest I dont see much of a choice atm thats much better cost wise and I rather they do this if it can help prevent or delay them having to build additional nuke plants for as long as possible.

[optimator]

5. romney care and drill baby drill

this shit keeps getting worse

[BunkerHill24]

6. I am not into drilling', but I can also support limited/regulated offshore drilling

of course it would take years, probably decades, to start producing oil from any new offshore leases, and even after the oil was flowing the effect on prices would be negligible. But limited offshore drilling should an obligation and must considered as part of a broader energy solution, imo.

[Hoyt]

7. +1

Our first priority should be getting off dependence on any foreign energy source. But, I think drilling is only a "temporary" part of the ultimate solution.

[villager]

11. -1

A sop to Big Oil.

Instead of standing up to them, and doing the real "weaning" work...

[DissedByBush]

8. My only problem with drilling

Is not in the drilling itself, but that a large supply of oil will make people and politicians lazy and not pursue renewable resources as much.

[Hoyt]

9. I share your concern on that.

Maybe they can insert some legislation that forces the fools to at least take some action on it in the not too distant future should those fears prove accurate (which I don't doubt).

[DissedByBush]

10. Common sense isn't so common

Forget Global Warming, forget national security. Forget the politics of those.

Oil won't last forever, it's a fact nobody can refute.

They can argue over how long it will last, but sooner or later it will be gone, so the argument is pointless.

So the sooner we work to move off it, the less it's going to cost when the oil gets scarce, and the less disruption to our lives and the economy there will be.

Why the politicians and voters don't get this, I don't know.

[cal04]

12. President Obama to Open Offshore Areas to Oil Drilling for First Time

Source: NY Times

The Obama administration is proposing to open vast expanses of water along the Atlantic coastline, the eastern Gulf of Mexico and the north coast of Alaska to oil and natural gas drilling for the first time, officials said Tuesday.

The proposal — a compromise that will please oil companies and domestic drilling advocates but anger some residents of affected states and many environmental organizations — would end a longstanding moratorium on oil exploration along the East Coast from the northern tip of Delaware to the central coast of Florida, covering 167 million acres of ocean.

Under the plan, the coastline from New Jersey northward would remain closed to all oil and gas activity. So would the Pacific Coast, from Mexico to the Canadian border.

The environmentally sensitive Bristol Bay in southwestern Alaska would be designated as a sanctuary and no drilling would be allowed under the plan, officials said. But large tracts in the Chukchi Sea and Beaufort Sea in the Arctic Ocean north of Alaska — nearly 130 million acres — would be eligible for exploration and drilling after extensive studies.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/31/science/earth/31energy.html?hp

---

Obama to permit oil exploration off Virginia coast
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE62T06520100331?feedType=RSS&feedName=domesticNews

[bluestateguy]

13. As I understand it, this is consistent with what he said in the campaign

nt

[pundaint]

21. He was against it while trying to defeat actual Democrats, but switched once the nomination

was sowed up. Even during his Fall campaign, he said he would only consider it as part of a package which included a larger set of benefits. What are WE getting in return for this concession?

Either this man is not learning, or some of us aren't.

[Sebastian Doyle]

14. Seriously, What the FUCK??

Is he REALLY going to do something that dumb, exactly one day after admitting that this joke of a health care bill was just warmed over RomneyCare?

Offshore drilling? Nuclear energy?

I could have sworn I voted for a DEMOCRAT in 2008? :wtf:

[ShortnFiery]

15. Lovely.

To say I'm disappointed would be an understatement. :(

[villager]

16. "Democrats were warming to us again, and we had to do something to nip it in the bud"

n/t

[ericinne]

17. Maybe he's testing the GOP

Maybe he wants to "DRILL BABY DRILL" to see if the GOP will try opposing it. Just like the HCR mandate... for it before they were against it. Yeah... DRILL BABY DRILL.:puke:

[Lorien]

25. Nah, he's pushing their favorite policies through withot any serious opposition. nt

[2Design]

18. tossed us one - toss them two n/t

[pundaint]

19. Drill baby, drill...

[depakid]

27. In more Republican areas....

[Lorien]

32. Florida went for Obama in the last election

it won't in the next one now, though.

[Baclava]

48. Obama 2008 - FL campaign

Interesting...


Obama 2008:

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (CNN)

“When I’m president, I intend to keep in place the moratorium here in Florida and around the country that prevents oil companies from drilling off Florida’s coasts,” Obama told reporters in Jacksonville in late June. “

“It’s not going to provide short-term relief or medium-term relief or in fact long-term relief. It won’t drop prices in this administration or in the next administration or in the administration after that,” Obama said while campaigning in Iowa.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/08/02/campaign.wrap/

[mbperrin]

20. Will they at least collect royalties this time? GW* and his admin

"forgot" to include royalties for the taxpayers when they leased enormous blocks of the Gulf, and courts later ruled that it could not be repaired.

Like burning a finite source even faster is a great solution....

[Bette Noir]

22. The Pacific coast would "remain closed"?

There are about half a dozen oil rigs off the central coast of California right now, between Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. I've driven by them six times in the last three weeks.

[Son Of Wendigo]

34. Oil Drilling Rigs Between Ventura and Santa Barbara

Those have been there since the 1960's. California took this to court and the eventual decision was no new rigs off the coast. I can't remember if this was just for California or the entire pacific coast. There wouldn't be any undersea oil off Oregon or Washington anyway. The geology is wrong. That's a subduction zone where ocean sea floor is being driven under the continental land mass.

In 1967 a section of sea floor near or perhaps under a rig blew out and a lot of oil was spilled between Carpinteria and Sam ta Barbara. It took years to clean. To this day one cannot walk barefooted along the Carpinteria State Beach without having to clean oily blotches off his or her feet. Some of this is residual oil from the 1967 event, and some is naturally seepage into the beach sand.

[bamacrat]

23. He may be trying to see how many republicans oppose it just because he said it...

then let it be defeated and say hey I tried but the republicans wouldn't even go with me on that.

[Lorien]

24. WTF?? How is this a "compromise"? Sound like another "go f*ck yourselves" to non-repugs

Where are those green jobs and new green energy technologies that he talked about during the campaign? Staying on the same old drug won't do anything but accelerate climate change and enrich the fossil fuel industry.

[lutefisk]

26. McCain-Palin policies would probably have been worse, I think.

.
.
:shrug:
.
.
Well, maybe they would have been not as bad in education policy, but most likely in many other areas...

[AmyDeLune]

28. *sighs*

I really hope this is a ploy to get the Repugs to vote against it, but I won't hold my breath...

[peacetalksforall]

29. Utter disaster. Sad and alarming. My gut tells me that this will be a major calamity. Right in

a hurricane path and with a very delicate water. Say good-bye.

[Lorien]

31. ...to any votes from Democrats and others in Florida!

This is a major issue down here that the vast majority are strongly opposed to. Where are all those GREEN jobs and energy projects that he promised as a candidate?

[Baclava]

49. NO drilling

Oil Rigs: A Risk Florida’s Shores Can’t Afford

At each stage of testing, exploration, and production, the oil and gas business produces contaminated water, uses toxic drilling muds, and periodically spills oil and toxic liquids into the ocean. Pollutants like mercury and persistent hydrocarbons contaminate fish and sea life near platforms and massive spills kill seabirds, sea turtles, fish and marine mammals.

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita destroyed over 100 drilling rigs and platforms and over 450 pipelines. The Minerals Management Service estimated almost one million gallons spilled during the hurricane from offshore facilities; the Coast Guard documented an estimated nine million gallons from onshore and offshore oil facilities were spilled.





I like my beaches just the way they are.

You want to splash around in oil crap? - go to Texas.


Stop Offshore Drilling

Drilling for oil off our coasts is a destructive policy that will put our beaches and wild places at risk while doing nothing to reduce our dependence on foreign oil or the cost to consumers at the pump. We are in this mess because of years of doing the wrong thing, and it's time for a change. We need to use less oil by increasing fuel economy, increasing funding for public transportation and planning for better transportation systems.

A Bad Idea Then, A Bad Idea Now

Florida's environment, economy and identity are defined by our shores. That’s why for decades Floridians have been united in their opposition to offshore drilling. The risks, we said, were too high; the rewards far too small.

http://www.environmentflorida.org/issues/save-our-shores/stop-offshore-drilling

[thereismore]

30. They will hate him for this too. So why do it. nt

[Ichingcarpenter]

43. Didn't he say 'Drill Baby Drill?'

Oh nevermind that was the other side.

[webDude]

33. You actually think that oil will go to us?! No, HIGHEST BIDDER!!

Same as it ever was.

So we get the crappy water area so that the oil companies can sell it to the highest bidder. THEY ACT LIKE THE OIL COMPANIES ARE NATIONALIZED, in which case it might be different, BUT THAT WOULD BE SOCIALISM!!


Brother.

[harun]

50. That's the real question they (Dem's, Media) never ask the Repub's when

they talk of more drilling. Will it lower the price of oil? No, it won't lower it one penny. This is so big oil and the gov't get more money, has nothing to do with the citizen's.

If they want to open up more land for drilling/exploration they should get something in return. Like additional funding for more wind/nuclear power and for more incentives to get electric cars on the road.

Those are things that actually would lower citizen's cost.

[harvey007]

36. Oil and water don't mix

Obama should be listening to Amory Lovins and the Rocky Mountain Institute, not Ken Salazar and the oil industry.

http://www.oilendgame.com/

[tomm2thumbs]

37. because nothing says...

because nothing says 'smart future', 'high-tech jobs' and 'earth-friendly technology' quite like 'let's open up more coastline for oil drilling'

[katty]

55. right! where did the earth friendly plan go?! WTF?!

[underpants]

38. And who pays for the technology (which we don't have yet) to drill?

:think:

that will be the reason that supports fades on this....if people are allowed to know about it

[underpants]

39. I am holding my breath until the wave of environmentalists are allowed on the MSM to discuss this

not

[NecklyTyler]

40. We don't need more oil, we do need a research and development project for clean, renewable energy

What we really need is bold action on climate and energy, including a cap on carbon pollution. Offshore drilling and production of more oil is going in the wrong direction. Burning more oil only releases more CO2 and contributes further to global warming.

President Obama needs to stop listening to the right wingers running big oil and move to a policy of Cap and Trade. Capping carbon pollution will ignite the transition to clean energy, end our dependence on dirty fossil fuels, and put America on a path toward economic recovery.

A cap on carbon pollution will create tens of thousands of good-paying American jobs that can’t be shipped overseas. Consumers and businesses will benefit from stable energy prices, and with greater energy efficiency, we can get more from the energy we have which will mean lower electricity bills. It will also help us put a limit on greenhouse gasses like Methane and CO2.


Now is the time for action. The economy can’t wait. The climate crisis can’t wait.

[Lerkfish]

41. funny how much I opposed the suggestion of this when BUsh was in the white house

but I'm supposed to support it now?

not exactly the change I voted for.

[Ganja Ninja]

42. Having Obama for President is like dating a two headed man.

One head is smart funny and charming. He's everything you ever wanted in a president. The other head is like a drunken obnoxious Dick Armey. He goes with him everywhere and spoils the mojo. You want to get rid of the other head in the worst way but you know in the end this just isn't going to work out.

[Stumbler]

44. Wow, and I thought this administration was so radical-hippy-leftist

First, more money for nuke plants, then allowing coal companies to continue removing mountaintops, and now this. All this coming after a year-long debate that silenced any advocates of Medicare for Everyone.

Say, can we start voting actual liberals into office anytime soon?

[Baclava]

45. This is gonna be a stinker

carrot and the stick

[alarimer]

46. More change

For the worse, that is.

How is this jackass any different from Bush? What do you cheerleaders have to say now?

Fuck this shit. I am sorry I ever voted for him. I'm not making that mistake again.

[Robb]

47. LOL

God forbid we actually wait until noon to hear what's actually planned. :rofl:

I love this place sometimes. :D

[Baclava]

54. now what?

[SnoopDog]

51. Another Clinton....Great....

Obama - nice guy and great president... to bad 90 percent of his
policies follow the republican/corporate playbook.

You see, we could not elect a republican for president so the corporations
put in a nice Democrat. And then all the sucky policies could out and we
democrats just sit back because 'he is a democrat'.

[mia]

52. Obama announces drilling expansion for climate push

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4327272


(Reuters) - President Barack Obama announced on Wednesday plans for a broad expansion of offshore oil and gas drilling in an effort to win Republican support for new laws to fight climate change.

[dflprincess]

56. When is he going to stop pandering to the Republicans

they aren't the ones who elected him - and they sure won't be the ones he'll need to reelect him in 2012.

[kjones]

53. If I remember correctly...

companies don't utilize all the area currently opened for drilling anyway.