The Obama administration plans to open thousands of miles of ocean along the Atlantic coast of the United States, the eastern Gulf of Mexico and the north coast of Alaska, according to U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar. Many of those areas are being opened to oil and gas exploration for the first time.
The new strategy, which will govern offshore drilling between 2012 and 2017, will permit oil and gas exploration and development 167 million acres of ocean along the Atlantic coast between the northern tip of Delaware and the central coast of Florida. The plan also opens nearly 130 million acres in the Chukchi Sea and Beaufort Sea in the Arctic Ocean north of Alaska as well as a large portion of the Gulf of Mexico that was previously off limits to the oil and gas industry, which is believed to contain as much as 3.5 billion barrels of oil and 17 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.
The Obama plan would continue to ban offshore drilling on the Atlantic coast from New Jersey northward and the entire Pacific coast between the Mexican and Canadian borders. Bristol Bay in southwestern Alaska would also be protected.
Obama's proposal is intended to reduce dependence on foreign oil, generate revenue from the sale of offshore oil and gas leases, and help the White House gain political support for the energy and climate legislation the president has been trying to push through Congress.
It remains to be seen whether lawmakers close to the oil and gas industry will be willing to throw their support behind comprehensive energy and climate legislation in return for Obama's concessions on offshore drilling, but it's almost certain that the president will lose some political support among governors and members of Congress from coastal states affected by the new strategy.
Many of the mainstream environmental groups are outraged by Obama's decision to expand offshore drilling in American waters, but they shouldn't be surprised.
During his 2008 presidential campaign, Obama said repeatedly that he would consider more offshore drilling if it was part of a political compromise necessary to reach a broader energy solution. During his first State of the Union address in January 2010, Obama was even more emphatic.
In that speech, Obama told Americans that building a clean energy economy "means building a new generation of safe, clean nuclear power plants in this country. It means making tough decisions about opening new offshore areas for oil and gas development. It means continued investment in advanced biofuels and clean coal technologies. And, yes, it means passing a comprehensive energy and climate bill with incentives that will finally make clean energy the profitable kind of energy in America."
Since the State of the Union address, Obama has moved quickly on plans to revitalize the U.S. nuclear industry with billions of dollars in government loan guarantees, and now he is proposing to expand offshore drilling. Surely new strategies for investment in advanced biofuels and clean coal technologies can't be far behind.
So Obama has made a series of first moves toward his political opponents, trying to secure the middle ground needed for passage of the comprehensive energy and climate legislation that he has made a cornerstone of his presidency. The big question now is whether Obama's concessions will persuade his foes to join him there in the spirit of compromise.
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Comments
this is probably a really good idea since off shore drilling has never had anyyyyy problems and will effect our economy right away…