Guess what? It’s off between me and the President. What he’s really doing is rolling the energy moratoria back into place, and calling that development. He’s making the kind of progress you make when you walk backward, but continue to face forward and say “hello” while you’re doing it.
According to the Republicans on the House Committee, here’s what’s going on behind “the prestige”—
• Under President Obama’s new plan, the majority of the areas that were open for drilling once the moratoria were lifted are now once again closed. This includes all of the Pacific Coast, the Northeastern Atlantic and Bristol Bay in Alaska.
• The Pacific Coast alone holds an estimated 10.5 billion barrels of oil—almost 75 percent of the total amount available off the U.S. coastline in former Moratoria areas and 18 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.
• The Northern Atlantic region, which will remain completely closed, contains an estimated 17.99 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.
• In total, the new Obama OCS plan puts 13.14 billion barrels of oil and 41.49 trillion cubic feet of natural gas under lock and key.
• The Administration is delaying plans to drill in the Atlantic off of Virginia’s coast until 2012– discarding a lease sale that was scheduled to take place in 2011.
• The Administration will only consider development of the Mid-Atlantic, Southern Atlantic, Chukchi and Beaufort Sea following Draft Environmental Study work to be conducted over the next year. It has NOT actually planned lease sales for these areas.
• Although the Administration will allow drilling in a portion of the Eastern Gulf of Mexico – this can only happen if Congress lifts the ban that is in place.
Did I really believe Obama was going to do what he said? No. Not really. But for a couple of days, I allowed myself to flirt with the idea that he might do the right thing.
Now, it’s back to reality.
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Yeah, I had the same hopes when I heard the announcement. I mean, it’s possible that this guy could do the right thing. It could happen.