Drill, don't drill, drill, don't....

Obama Calls for More Offshore Drilling. Again.

Despite the massive economic and ecological damage wrought by the BP spill, and despite the numerous studies by nonpartisan agencies that show increased drilling won't lower prices at the pump, President Obama has taken the bait and is now joining the GOP in calling for expanded offshore drilling.


As you'll recall, the last time the president made such a "compromise" (it was really a concession, as yielding increased drilling to the GOP won Democrats precisely nothing in return), the largest offshore oil disaster in American history erupted a few days later. Of course, most vocal conservative and oil-state 'moderate' pols ignored that little mess and went right on calling for more drilling throughout the spill -- meanwhile, not a single meaningful piece of legislation was ever passed to address the reckless safety culture inherent in the oil industry's drilling practices.


So, once again, we're given an example of the president's hugely unambitious energy strategy -- wherein it's more important to cater to GOP falsehoods than to put the nation on an actual path to cleaner energy. In the process, he's apparently willing to endanger numerous more pristine offshore habitats and the economies that rely on them.

Is it just politics?  I really feel that all politicians are swayed by the mighty dollar of the lobbyists.  When that greenback talks, politcians listen.  

Is he getting it?

Obama: "We can't just drill our way out of the problem"

Hey-o! Look who decided to wake up and make a little noise on the energy front. After getting pushed around by the pro-drilling crowd for the last couple years, Obama at least made the effort today to note that drilling for oil won't solve our energy woes. After all, domestic production peaked in the 70s, and the proven reserves we have yet to tap aren't big enough to increase energy independence. And Obama finally said as much in a speech today.


From the Hill:


"We can't just drill our way out of the problem," Obama said during an energy policy speech in Indiana Friday. "If we're serious about addressing our energy problems, we're going to have to do more than drill." Obama's remarks come as Washington policymakers are feeling pressure to take action to address high gas prices, which are nearing a nationwide average of $4 a gallon.
Republicans have ramped up calls for expanded domestic oil-and-gas production. House Republicans passed the first of three offshore drilling bills Thursday that have been fast-tracked by GOP leadership.


He also made a nod toward eliminating oil subsidies, referring to oil companies in saying that "If you're already paying them at the pump, we don't need to pay them in the tax code."

But wait - did I speak too soon?

Yet his administration has not yet threatened a veto on the bill that just passed the House of Reps that would expand offshore drilling while slackening the environmental review process -- so it doesn't seem like he hates drilling that much. After all, he famously pledged to dramatically expand offshore drilling right before the BP Gulf spill erupted. So there is indeed a chance we may yet see expanded drilling just one year after the worst offshore oil disaster in US history.

So what are your real thoughts?  Drill or not-to-drill.  That is the question you have to answer Mister Prez!

It's all about cash - II

House of Reps Passes Bill to Expand Offshore Drilling

Just weeks after the 1-year anniversary of the BP Gulf spill, the US House of Representatives passed a bill that would force the US government to offer more offshore drilling leases to oil companies. All but two Republicans voted for the bill, and 33 Democrats voted in favor as well. As I've taken to saying, it's like the BP spill never happened at all ...


If it had, after all, how could policymakers justify pursuing an agenda like this: (via the Hill)


House Republicans passed legislation Thursday that would require the U.S. government to offer up offshore areas for oil and gas leasing, part of a wide-ranging GOP effort to expand domestic energy production ... The bill is the first in a three-part legislative push by House Republicans on drilling. Two related drilling bills are expected to come up for a vote on the House floor next week.
The legislation, authored by House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (R-Wash.), would set a deadline for holding delayed Gulf of Mexico oil and gas lease sales. It would also mandate the sale of leases off the Virginia coast, a plan the administration nixed after last year's Gulf oil spill.


Yup. With rising gas prices, Republicans had a window to falsely claim that a lack of offshore drilling was to blame. And since the oil industry is one of the GOP's favorite and most generous benefactors, it made sense to strike while the iron was hot.

It's drill baby drill - with no concern about the air or water. It's the money stupid!

Drilling for trouble

How Can You Even Think of Drilling at a Time Like This?

That's what I want to know. Yesterday, I blasted some particularly ignorant pols and pundits who were still including shout outs to offshore drilling in their standard boilerplate speeches -- but nobody would be seriously seeking to advocate a policy of expanded drilling right now, would they? Rational pros and cons aside, it'd just be politically, well, stupid, right? Evidently not to Democratic Senator Mary Landrieu, who represents the very state that stands to get pummeled by the oil, and House Minority Leader John Boehner. They're both seriously seeking to approve more offshore drilling right now.

Yes -- right now, as a bare minimum of 200,000 gallons of oil (higher estimates put it closer to 1 million) spews into the Gulf a day, and a supreme case of negligence (albeit legal) from BP that allowed the disaster to happen unfolding before our eyes, these politicians are seriously already trying to lobby for expanded drilling

They think that Climate Change is a figment of the imagination. When the slick comes ashore will they think it is just some CGI trick? Or will they simply ignore the facts so their wallets can benefit?

Rush on the crazy train

Image via Wikipedia

Rush Says Greens Might Be Behind BP Disaster

I want to get back to the timing of the blowing up, the explosion out there in the Gulf of Mexico of this oil rig. ... Now, lest we forget, ladies and gentlemen, the carbon tax bill, cap and trade, that was scheduled to be announced on Earth Day. I remember that. And then it was postponed for a couple of days later after Earth Day, and then of course immigration has now moved in front of it. But this bill, the cap-and-trade bill, was strongly criticized by hardcore environmentalist wackos because it supposedly allowed more offshore drilling and nuclear plants, nuclear plant investment. So, since they're sending SWAT teams down there, folks, since they're sending SWAT teams to inspect the other rigs, what better way to head off more oil drilling, nuclear plants, than by blowing up a rig? I'm just noting the timing here.

He is not the only passenger on the train. From Infowars

Oil rigs are being attacked in order to shut down oil production, not nationalize it. The name of the game is artificial scarcity designed to further cripple the economy.

On Friday, Obama promised that no new offshore oil drilling leases will be issued unless rigs have new safeguards to prevent a repeat of the explosion that unleashed the massive spill threatening the Gulf Coast, according to the Associated Press.

The number of structures in the Gulf is roughly 4,000, with 819 manned platforms. How long do you think it will take an ossified federal government to install these safeguards?

As Lindsey Williams has noted, the global elite are manipulating oil in order to create a world-wide economic depression. “America will see a financial collapse so great that it will take years to come out of it,” Williams told Alex Jones on November 21, 2008.

The same crew call global warming a major hoax. Those glaciers that are melting? Look for soldiers with very large blow torches...

Three steps back

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

WTF: Obama Expands Offshore Drilling Far Beyond Bush

Well, we knew the announcement was coming, and sure enough, here it is: Obama has unveiled his offshore drilling plans, and to the eyes of the environmentally conscious, it ain't pretty. Matt already detailed most of the provisions, which were revealed last night in a leak to reporters. But in case you missed it, the new plan opens up vast swaths of American coastline: some on the east coast and some around Alaska for drilling--a more expansive offering to oil companies than even Bush ever authorized.


Obama's Offshore Drilling Plan
According to the LA Times, here are the biggest implications of the new drilling plan:


Eventually open two-thirds of the eastern Gulf's oil and gas resources for drilling.


Proceed with drilling off Virginia, provided the project clears environmental and military reviews.


Study the viability of drilling off the mid- and southern Atlantic coasts.


Study the viability of drilling in Alaska's Beaufort and Chukchi seas -- areas hotly defended by environmentalists -- but issue no new drilling leases in either sea before 2013.


Pundits and commentators are scrambling to rationalize Obama's move: some say it's a political olive branch to conservatives, some say it's intended to help persuade moderates to consider comprehensive energy reform. Bradford Plumer notes at the Vine that it may be a preemptive measure to quell public furor when gas prices rise above $3 this summer, as they're expected to do.


The move is certainly political--as noted just about everywhere, most of the oil won't be available for 10-12 years, and some of it likely never at all. And there's only 120 million barrels estimated to be found off the coast of Virginia--hardly enough to even put a dent in US dependence on foreign oil.

Playing politics with the environment and our future?