Flip-O-Meter on Pres. Obama's Support for Offshore Drilling

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Wednesday, March 31st, 2010

Flip-O-Meter says Wobbly, but, 'No Flip'


On March 31, 2010, Pres. Obama announced that he'd be opening up new coastal areas to oil production.

"And in the short term, as we transition to cleaner energy sources, we’ll have to make tough decisions about opening new offshore areas for oil and gas development in ways that protect communities and coastlines," he said in his announcement at Andrews Air Force Base. "This is not a decision that I’ve made lightly... But the bottom line is this: given our energy needs, in order to sustain economic growth, produce jobs, and keep our businesses competitive, we’re going to need to harness traditional sources of fuel even as we ramp up production of new sources of renewable, homegrown energy."

In 2008, we gave him a Half Flip because early in his campaign he said he intended to maintain the long-standing moratorium barring drilling off the Florida coast, telling oil companies to drill on the land they already had leased. Then, amid soaring gas prices in the summer of 2008, he shifted and announced he was receptive to a plan for opening new areas for drilling. On Aug. 1, 2008, Obama said he would compromise and support the New Energy Reform Act of 2008, a bipartisan bill that, in addition to spending $84 billion on the development of better batteries and energy-and-fuel saving technologies, would have allowed for drilling for oil and natural gas as close as 50 miles from Florida's west coast . . .

By the time he won the race for the White House, Obama was squarely behind some new efforts to produce more oil domestically. Before Obama took office, former President George W. Bush lifted that ban on new oil and gas leases and ordered a five-year plan for awarding new leases. After Obama took office, Department of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar extended the public comment period on those proposals . . .

His (new) strategy calls for developing oil and gas resources in new areas, including in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico and increasing exploration in parts of the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans. Other areas, such as the environmentally vulnerable Bristol Bay in Alaska, would remain protected.

At the same time, Obama also announced new efforts to green the federal fleet of vehicles and the upcoming finalization of a new rule establishing greenhouse gas emission reductions for some vehicles.
Defenders of Wildlife, a national environmental group, pointed out that Obama's plan may reverse a 2006 effort to protect waters near Florida through 2022 that Obama had voted for as a senator. But again, our benchmark for this analysis is where Obama stood on the issue back in the summer of 2008, when we last visited the issue . . .


read more: http://politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2010/mar/31/barack-obama/once-wobbly-obama-not-inconsistent-latest-oil-dril/

[texastoast]

1. "Disappointed but not surprised"

Shame.

[Coyote_Bandit]

2. Ummmm......

I don't give a shit what Obama says. He has proven that his words are not reliable. And he has done so more than once.

I do very much care about what he does and doesn't do. Color me unimpressed to date. His administration is a lost opportunity.

[Myrina]

3. +10

Agree wholeheartedly, unfortunately. Sigh.

[Lord Helmet]

4. Well that blows a hole in the yelps of betrayal here.

I guess opposing the policy isn't enough for some and to that end I can't help but notice this thread is being for the most part ignored.

k 'n r because facts do matter

[jgraz]

5. Wow, some random website gives Obama a pass

I can't believe GDP isn't flooded with apologies and retractions. :eyes:

[Lord Helmet]

6. Oppose the policy but stop BS'ing about being betrayed. nt

[jgraz]

7. Betrayal is subjective

As is the website you seem to love so much.

[bigtree]

8. it's a group of journalists

They provide an argument and facts to support what they claim . . . a rarity in these 'discussions'.