Obama to allow offshore oil drilling?

[werepossum]

If true, this is potentially huge and could be a sign of Obama moving to the center for the 2010 & 2012 elections, reversing his hold on a Bush plan to allow off-shore drilling.

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

But Obama, who wants Congress to move a stalled climate change bill, has sought to reach out to Republicans by signaling he is open to allowing offshore drilling, providing coastlines are protected.

Ideally these leases would be accompanied by a massive escrow account, to be seized in the event of a major spill and used for the cleanup and restocking required. The government and the oil company could then argue at leisure over how much to return and how much extra must be placed in escrow to continue operations.

 

[Tristicus]

God I hope so.

 

[IronWing]

This isn't a change really. The Obama admin,Salazar in particular, has consistently supported domestic oil and gas exploration and production. They make environmentalist noises for cover but when decisions are reached it's been drill, baby, drill.

 

[her209]

OMG Socialist!

 

[Hacp]

If true, this is potentially huge and could be a sign of Obama moving to the center for the 2010 & 2012 elections, reversing his hold on a Bush plan to allow off-shore drilling.

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



Ideally these leases would be accompanied by a massive escrow account, to be seized in the event of a major spill and used for the cleanup and restocking required. The government and the oil company could then argue at leisure over how much to return and how much extra must be placed in escrow to continue operations.

It remains to see how much drilling will occur.

 

[Throckmorton]

We have offshore drilling already.

 

[ShawnD1]

We have offshore drilling already.

I figured so. Even hippy liberal Canada and Norway have offshore drilling. To not have it would just be weird.

 

[lothar]

This isn't a change really. The Obama admin,Salazar in particular, has consistently supported domestic oil and gas exploration and production. They make environmentalist noises for cover but when decisions are reached it's been drill, baby, drill.

What he said.

 

[manowar821]

So he's a tool, like most other presidents? No surprise here.

 

[waggy]

very good. one of the few thing si agree with

 

[GoPackGo]

He got healthcare through....now if he moves to center, he could be more like Clinton...if he stays left...he will be more like Jimmy Carter.

But in any case it always has been and will always be "it's the economy, stupid"

 

[Tom]

He passed Bob Dole's/Richard Nixon's vision of health care reform, barely liberal.

Portraying Obama as a liberal is a political tactic, and his opposition has been very effective at getting their message across for several decades, even if it's often so exaggerated as to be false.

 

[GuitarDaddy]

Drill baby drill!

It works for everyone! Sarah,Tiger,Jesse and Obama too.

 

[Jaskalas]

It remains to see how much drilling will occur.

Ah, a good bait and switch that will sell in the media yet result in nothing but propaganda. Good catch, I'll remain skeptical until private companies actually get awarded rights to fully and immediately produce.

This does not mesh will with the grander scheme of cap and trade for "energy" policy so it really does give one pause.

 

[dmcowen674]

Drill baby drill!

It works for everyone! Sarah,Tiger,Jesse and Obama too.

Of course now Republicans will say it's bad and do everything they can to block the drilling.

 

[dmcowen674]

We have offshore drilling already.

Off Virginia and Florida???

 

[GoPackGo]

We drill now to import less oil. Then we bring nuke plants online. Cars become Electric Hybrid with Gas Assist...then the technology gets to the point where gas assist is no longer necessary....that is the right way to this.

 

[piasabird]

However, no more drilling for Alaska. Only pinko states can have off-shore drilling.

 

[her209]

We drill now to import less oil. Then we bring nuke plants online. Cars become Electric Hybrid with Gas Assist...then the technology gets to the point where gas assist is no longer necessary....that is the right way to this.

Then we go fusion.

 

[Atreus21]

Then we go fusion.

Then antimatter.

Annihilate baby Annihilate.

 

[woolfe9999]

During his campaign, he said he supported offshore drilling and nuclear, where safe and appropriate. This is not a move to the center. He's always been there.

- wolf

 

[Patranus]

I think this is more about trying to recover some of the independents the Democrat party is hemorrhaging. He is trying to throw them a bone.

Until I see a real shift to (practical forms of) energy independence, this is nothing this is nothing but lip service.

I wont hold my breath.

 

[highland145]

Ah, a good bait and switch that will sell in the media yet result in nothing but propaganda. Good catch, I'll remain skeptical until private companies actually get awarded rights to fully and immediately produce.

This does not mesh will with the grander scheme of cap and trade for "energy" policy so it really does give one pause.

The govt panel will spend 2-3 years examining the environmental impact and , if it passes, the environmentalists will hold it up in court for many more years. So the final outcome is ~10 years for anything to start and P-BO/Dems gets media brownie points today (and November). Smart move for him, not much oil for us.

 

[thraashman]

He passed Bob Dole's/Richard Nixon's vision of health care reform, barely liberal.

Portraying Obama as a liberal is a political tactic, and his opposition has been very effective at getting their message across for several decades, even if it's often so exaggerated as to be false.

Exactly. It's funny how much simple people want to throw around the word socialist, but Obama is closer to center than every single republican. I guess when you're so far right that Ahmadinejad is moderate to you ... then yes that would make Obama a socialist. But it makes you a loony toon.

 

[werepossum]

During his campaign, he said he supported offshore drilling and nuclear, where safe and appropriate. This is not a move to the center. He's always been there.

- wolf

Yet one of his first acts was to reverse the Bush decision allowing drilling. Now he's decided to allow some of the drilling he blocked. Sounds like a move to me as I watch what he does, not what he says.

I think this is more about trying to recover some of the independents the Democrat party is hemorrhaging. He is trying to throw them in a bone.

Until I see a real shift to (practical forms of) energy independence, this is nothing this is nothing but lip service.

I wont hold my breath.

Perhaps. Certainly the progressives and radical environmentalists will try to kill it. But it is something we didn't have before, so I'll take him at his word until I see otherwise. Also, I tend to trust the Democrats (when you can get them to allow it at all) more on oil drilling and mining, as the Pubbies don't seem to want any responsibility for private industry. For projects like oil drilling and mining, with extremely expensive cleanup reasonably possible (almost certain in the case of mining), this cost needs to be addressed up front in my opinion. Otherwise we end up either living with a screwed up environment or with taxpayers paying the cleanup bills while the companies keep all the profits. This is just another form of socialism combined with crony capitalism.

I love private industry, but it needs to pay its own way. If a coal or oil deposit isn't economically feasible to recover with the environmental costs factored in, that deposit should be left until prices rise to make it feasible, not subsidized.