President Bush Asks for End to Offshore Drilling Ban
Political cartoon by Michael Ramirez
President Bush, reversing a longstanding position, will call on Congress on Wednesday to end a federal ban on offshore oil drilling, according to White House officials who say Mr. Bush now wants to work with states to determine where drilling should occur.
There really is NO reason to delay new oil and natural gas exploration unless the American people wish to change their lifestyles.
If America had taken these steps ten years ago we would not be having the problems with $4 plus gasoline today. And, who is to blame? Guess who?
The Congressional moratorium was first enacted in 1982, and has been renewed every year since. It prohibits oil and gas leasing on most of the outer continental shelf, 3 miles to 200 miles offshore. Since 1990, it has been supplemented by the first President Bush’s executive order, which directed the Interior Department not to conduct offshore leasing or preleasing activity in areas covered by the legislative ban until 2000. In 1998, President Bill Clinton extended the offshore leasing prohibition until 2012.
It is time for the Democrat controlled Congress to do SOMETHING. The GOP in Congress and now the President have made concrete proposals.
Over to the the Democrats.
Think they will do anything?
3 Comments
tim
Ken Williamson makes so good points about this on http://www.posterspost.com.
He makes a good case for drilling.
The point is, we have no choice but to drill if we continue driving our vehicles.
Ken
You have got to be kidding me!
So let’s get this straight, a piece of legislation first voted into law by Reagan and a Presidential Moratorium enacted by the first President Bush are now all Clinton’s fault? Gas is $4 a gallon because of unrestricted speculation. The price did not rise due to increased demand, lower production, or dimished refining. Oil executives and analysists have indicated that we are not refining to capsity nor is our national demand outpacing production. They have testified to congress that if we close the legislative loopholes (The Enron Loophole) we could see gas prices drop by half in 30 days.
New offshore oil would take ten years at least to bring to market and even the department of energy notes that it would have little effect on the barrel price. And unlike all of the claims from pro-drilling lawmakers, oil platforms did not make it through the latest hurricanes unscathed.
Finally, if you believe in Global Warming, then how can you sign on to a strategy that is simply more of the same?
Flap
Dude,
If we have started more drilling ten years ago we would have more domestic supply today and not be as dependent on foreign sources.
Your solution is not realistic.
We need a multi-faceted energy policy of which offshore drilling is one part.