Obama opens new oil drilling offshore in climate drive

We are so blessed to have a presidente like you! Who would bend over backwards and let us drill for more oil! I mark this on the calendar so I will always remember this thing you did for us! Thank you Mr. Presidente.

Three weeks worth of OPEC imports is not worth putting the coastline of the Commonwealth of Virginia at risk.

It is time for this President to be impeached and I will beat that drum until Benedict Arnold is gone.

Sarah Palin’s best advocate. Barack Obama

We consume 20 million barrels a day so that 130 million barrels will last about one week.
It is not worth the environmental destruction nor the cost.

These Obama-bashers are getting pathetic. You want Obama to drill for oil, and when he does you complain. If he blocked the idea to drill for oil, you would still complain. I used to listen to the discussions, but now it is easy to see that you just complain for the sake of complaining. Here is what you should do: get off the computer, go back to school, studying science or engineering, and add to this economy instead of waisting your time complaining and doing nothing. Some of you are right; the president and the government doesn’t care much about us. That is why we have to go out there and make changes. The first thing we should do is educate ourselves in a useful major. A rise in science and engineering graduates will raise GDP faster than any policy. For a more personal note, a degree in science or engineering will help you find a job faster than any stimulus package. Crying will get you nowhere.

Huh, has hell frozeth over?

Does anyone really think that oil companies would go to all the trouble of setting up and drilling for a few weeks worth of oil? Come on people get a life.Think a little.

Exactly, so he should do something more than just go after a publicity deal and actually go after some oil. You notice how he cancels all the leases that actually have oil but opens up a little piece that he knows nobody will go after.

Do the math. 130mil bbls * an estimated $95/bbl(estimated cost in a year) is $12.3Bil, and thats just the oil revenue. Take away estimated costs of developing and producing ~ $8.35/bbl = 1.08Bil in production costs. This still leaves and estimated $11 Billion to be had. This isnt even taking into account the jobs created, and the massive support system that will be put in place. I believe that this is a much needed step in the right direction, at least for now. Its not a permanant fix, but its a start.

Oh and “a few weeks worth of oil” is pretty much nonsense. It takes years to pull that much oil out of the ground, and oil prices are only expected to rise in the next few years as middle eastern oil reserves start to go dry/ get sucked up by China

WOW ! obama boosts economy and jobs with the stroke of a pen – AND IT DIDN’T COST TAXPAYERS A DIME ! Too bad it’s just the coast of Virginia opened for exploration; maybe obama doesn’t want to get in the way of the Russians in the Golf.

Frankly, I find the headline offensive and indicative of a larger problem. Obama to “permit” oil exploration… He doesnt “permit” anything. He is the head of the executive branch of OUR government. We permit him (not the reverse) to execute those powers and functions we have granted to the executive branch specifically and to the central government in general in our set of operating instructions given to them… the constitution.

This is a purely political move.

By blocking drilling in places like Bristol Bay, Obama is likely DECREASING overall gas production, even with the increased access in the Gulf and Atlantic coast. The overall effect of this is nil. If you really want to increase production, you must increase production everywhere. Cancelling out positives with negatives? Leaves you at the same place you already are.

http://neoavatara.com/blog/?p=10646

If this leads to more domestic production I am all for it. This would make it one in a row where I have agreed with this administration.

This is the worse news I’ve heard from this White House. We need to concentrate efforts on alternative forms of energy — NOT OIL!!!

Plutocracy,
You’re hugging the crazy tree. There are no “alternatives” anywhere close to our event horizon that can get a 747 across the Pacific (51 thousand gallons). Creating a sense of urgency might speed up alternative research by burning – as fast as possible – all remaining dead-dino reserves God has so blessed this planet with (through Holy evolution, no less). Imagine life without the industrial revolution… I know how to hunt and extract bear grease for wooden axles – do you?

wait….we have about 15 billion barrels off of both costs and we consume 2 billion a year? Is that a typo? That means those oil only gonna last us ~7 yrs? And the oil from Virginia only gonna last us 1 month?

I sincerely believe this is just another smoke screen by the pied piper. He does not or will not allow drilling since his administration has consistently denied progress on drilling on Federal Lands everywhere else in America. And of course his hacks are specifically targeting no drilling where Oil is likely located, so why would any company be interested in spending money to drill where no hydrocarbons are anticiapted….do you think we’re stupid.

It’s an olive branch/lollipop being offered to try to shove the destructive cap and trade bill through. Note that he will not free Alaska’s areas for drilling, just off Virginia and a “select” portion of the gulf. Why Virginia? To try to save and/or gain seats and a governorship down the road. There isn’t enough oil there to make a difference (natural gas is another matter). Select areas of the gulf needs to be looked into. If it turns out those areas are the ones that were already investigated by the explorers and deemed not financially viable to develop then all of this is political feel good talk, not something that will release us from the chains of OPEC. I tend to agree with landowner5566, possible smoke screen here but I’ll wait for the announcement.

I’d hate to see the coast put at risk for such a small amount of oil.
I’m glad the rebpulicans have vowed not to work with Obama on anything, so that when this comes up, I can expect them all to vote no.

I support the President’s campaign in part because he promised green jobs and a fight against global warming. But I also supported the President because he is a mature and rational man. ……..

http://thefiresidepost.com/2010/03/31/obama-oil-and-rational-leadership/

Well, personally, I am from Louisi-Yana, and it’s about time we drilled off someone else’s shores, besides ours.

Yeah. This is a great idea! We let foreign owned oil and gas companies come in and drill that pittance of offshore fuel we’ve got sitting out there which will take at most a decade and then we’ll be absolutely 100% dependent on all foreign oil and gas for the rest of our lives because we won’t have any left at all. There’s some long term planning for you! This is a waste of time, money and effort that will produce at best a short term increase in highly specialized jobs and little difference at the diesel pump any time. Period. We should be spending our American money with American companies on finding real long term alternatives; nuclear, clean coal, wind, solar, bio-fuels and EV’s are the real answers and can immediately boost job growth from low to high skilled.

he will stick with a Bush era plan to drill oil? HYPOCRIT!!

Here we go again. Back and forth. Republicans -vs- Democrats in an endless battle between bad and worse. Wasting our time, money and future on squabbling over the ONE RIGHT CHOICE. Constantly at battle over what is right and what is wrong. There is only ONE right choice. And if there was no monetary value based on that choice, then there would be NO SQUABBLING over it. And we would be better off as a society if we did not have to waste our time on it and you did not FIGHT OVER THE ONE RIGHT CHOICE.

And who suffers because of these greedy selfish fools that are STILL controlling our fate? The people that have to sit by and watch them fight over gay marriage, healthcare, the economy, jobs, trade, foreign relations, etc….like the PEOPLE from HAITI that are suffering because of YOU. Like the people of Afghanistan and Iraq and Palestine that are suffering because of YOU. Like the HUMAN BEINGS that continue to suffer from lack of food, shelter, healthcare and everything you FOOLS INSIST on FIGHTING OVER!!!

Do you want to know what the solution is to every problem that humanity faces is? Eliminate Money and need to charge each other to live. Make human rights the number one priority and make this existence a free one. Let us each work 2 hours a day to make one good product we can all share and make it free to live. Eliminate the need to profit and compete with each other. Eliminate the need to waste my existence making , spending, chasing after and protecting money so I can live. There would be no reason for wars, murders, crime, etc. There would be no crime because there would be no need for it because everything would be free. Just like the heaven we are expecting at death, except we get to enjoy it now instead of when we are DEAD. That is the message that Dr. King died for. That is the ideology that he sacrificed his life for. That you all seem to just not get.

http://www.myspace.com/jaychijken

Lest you forget who really runs the world; BIG OIL and their financiers.
Obama you’re more a DINO as days go by.

Wow! Obama is courting the minority party and will buy their vote by allowing off shore drilling in order to get support for his Al Gore Climategate ponzi scheme. America should be proud! Why are we not drilling for the 2 Trillion barrels of oil under the rocky’s and Montana. See the government report which shows we have more oil than all the middle east combined. If we don’t drill off shore the void left by our absence will allow China to fill it and drill the oil in Cuba; Mexico and other fringe areas. Of course that could be part of our foreign policy since we have sold our nation to China. Obama’s admin is a train wreck.

Yeah right, Obama pushing for offshore drilling…of course and then he’ll hammer us with the climate change legislation he’ll have stuffed into it in another incomprehensible 2000 page bill…
Climate change….what a joke, let’s call it what it is…’Weather’…

I agree that this step is not only needed but far overdue. BUT, the EPA will let them explore, but will not let them drill. Keep in mind, the EPA has more power and authority than Congress and the Supreme Court combined.

more drilling to get support from Republicans (read Republicrats) for climate change legislation ? Look, America needs to be cutting back on fossil fuel use at least 5% per year..this is manageable to get to a sustainable economic level but the peak oil crashes in a few years will crash society as we’ve known it big time. A sustainable standard of living as a “free people” is about 40% of the present one. The present “standard of living” is toast thanks to the Great Heists of the last few years, climate change, and peak oil..please wake up, America..things changed..oh, man, did they ever..

Wait a minute.. what happened to the money on offshore drilling in Brazil for Petrobras?
Now its local drilling?.. I’m confused.

http://www.newsmax.com/hostetter/hostetter-Soros-Obama-economy/2010/02/11/id/349645

http://patriotsforamerica.ning.com/forum/topics/obama-underwrites-offshore?commentId=2734278%3AComment%3A155971

This is yet another “smoke screen” presented by our socialist leader to get the “Indepentent vote”. Acutual drilling can not happen until after 2012, the presidents campaign re-election year. Sorry Mr. President, your flip/flop is not going to work. You my friend are a socialist which America does not want and you will become a one term President.

Ok.. I did a little more research.. South atlantic drilling is still a part of Obama’s (Soros’)plan.

But they just found this in the gulf of mexico recently.
http://www.theoildrum.com/node/6135

Most of the time I read things our politicians say and get mad. This time, I just couldn’t help but laugh…

“‘I know that we can come together to pass comprehensive energy and climate legislation that will foster new industries and millions of new jobs protecting our planet and helping us become more energy independent,’ he said.”

Praise be to God, we are saved!

I love these comments that support the uptick to economy and jobs. The last time I put my mouth over a tailpipe I couldn’t stand it. If you believe the atmosphere is a shell around the Earth held in place by gravity, then you realize it is filling up. People! There are no more carbon sinks miraculously absorbing our internal combusted CO2. You go ahead with your short term profits. I’m more interested in long term health and survival.

I don’t think any of you see through this, HE MADE THE STATEMENT KNOWING THE OIL COMPANIES would balk on the deal.

They aren’t stupid and Obama performs another Feel good spew from the mouth

Obama better fiqure out how to get it back to $2 a gallon, b/c the economy will never recover till it does.

Now that he has called their bluff let’s see how long until any actual drilling takes place, as far as saving the environment, use less oil.

This is insanity? It is neither
cost effective or ecologically sound and too small a gain to be remotely considered.
Surely drilling along the coast of Virginia will ultimately impact the entire Chesapeake Bay region which is already threatened and weak!

It is apparent that it doesn’t matter what this administration does some will simply piss and moan.

5 years before drilling. No guarantee oil is there. Boehner is pissed off for no reason, except that he doesn’t like anything Obama does, funny. Obama is trying to smooth the tide. So what.

Oil companies have already put money on US off shore drilling, domestic and foreign.

Again, It’s all money at the top. Few real jobs for Americans.

Wow. In a gesture aimed at wooing opposition leaders and reducing U.S. dependence on imported oil, President Obama falls far short by indicating he is inclined to permit offshore drilling where there is insufficient oil to supply the nation’s demands for an entire week. This is…underwhelming.

What people need to realize is that this is only a small fraction of the oil we consume on an annual basis. However, the United States does possess significant resources of oil, gas, and coal. But thinking that domestic drilling and energy production alone equals energy security is incomplete. To finish this equation, we as a nation need to address realities. First, we need to increase supplies from Non-OPEC countries (such as Canada). Second, we need to strive to set standards for renewable energy generation to make sure we support both the development and capacity of these industries. Finally, we need to continue to strive towards using energy more wisely and promote energy efficient means.
Want to learn more about balanced energy for America? Visit www.consumerenergyalliance.org to get involved, discover CEA’s mission and sign up for our informative newsletter.

Wow. Will this reduce gas prices? NO. Would anything reduce gas prices at this point? NO. Pre-first gulf war: gas was less than $1/gallon. Shell, Amoco(BP), Exxon all said after the war prices would “normalize”. Did it happen? Nope. Get used to it, folks. SSDD.

How is drilling giving US jobs! When foreign companies are doing the drilling with foreign employees. When US oil and gas is exported to foreign countries. Look at what is going on in Alaska. Thanks for giving our minerals away. We need laws to stop the bleeding of America!

You want drilling when it’s the repub’s calling for it. Obama says “OK, let’s drill” and you complain. It’s official. You are all that annoying family member that complains about everything and nothing is ever right. Can’t make you happy. Eventually you’re going to be ignored by everyone else left to tend to your 50 cats all alone. Do you really want that? Then quit the pissing and moaning come up with something new to say. Really, please come to the table with something constructive. Really.

@leftcenterright:
Let me see. You “piss and moan” away, as you so eloquently put it. And then you “piss and moan” about how everyone else is “pissing and moaning,” instead of coming to the table with your own viable alternatives. This is the sort of misdirection that conjurers practice (except it’s entertaining when they do it well). You create a diversion to draw attention away from your own poverty of productive ideas. I get it, and I’m not the only one who does. Those who come forward with productive ideas get shut down right and left when they come from outside the circle of those in power at the moment. Not because they have nothing worthwhile to contribute, but rather because they and their contributions are unwelcome.

Republicans crying fowl again. I was worried before, now they can’t be taken seriously. Somebody needs to smack some sense into these guys. Dems can’t do anything right in Republicans eyes.

They would rather drive the country in the ground and blame the Democrats, than work at anything constructive.

Nothing funny about giving away drilling rights to foreign interests.

LOL
Oil in the Lower-48 peaked in 1972. Oil in Alaska peaked in 1988.
There ain’t any new oil to be found here, why else would the US spend a $TRILLION to be in Iraq & Afghanistan.

@leftcenterright:
You seem (to me) more than a bit confused about the movement of gasoline prices over time. Allow me to suggest that you spend some time and effort chewing on the facts and learning to think about this matter in light of real-world market dynamics. There are many fine places to start; here’s just one: http://mises.org/daily/2940

Mr. Obama is forgetting something. The states he wants to further destroy/endnager the coastlines of are very dependant these days on Tourism. Has Mr. Obmama forgotten where the HURRICANE belt is? Does he want to render prime tourist areas (the beaches of Florida for example) as dead as those of Eastern Texas? It’s bad enough our Florida Beachesa a have been badly eroded by past Hurricanes. You don’t see many birds as you once did.

Plus drilling for oil off the US coast
will only increase demand. People will simply use more.

As for ‘being depenant on foreign oil’ we’re already dependant on just about everyting from other countries now thanks to Outsourcing.

Making money at the expense of the enviornment is a great way to say BUY Earth! Better hurry up… go find another planet to ruin.

@upapalmtree:
This is a stretch, but it could be argued you have a point about increasing supply leading to more consumption. After all, as automotive fuel economy has risen to meet ever higher CAFE standards, consumers have responded by driving more miles, keeping consumption at least even year over year.
Beyond that, you’ve lost me. (Hurricanes? Really? So…?)
While you fret about potential damage to East Coast beaches, consider this: every year more oil washes up _naturally_ on the beaches of California than all the oil that has ever been spilled from oceangoing tankers.

Coastline is very dependent on tourism. True to some extent, Millions of dollars, spent to restore beach erosion is and always will be throwing $$$ in the ocean.

The money we would profit from in oil would just about pay for beach replenishment each year just for the East coast.

Houses built on barrier islands pretty much have destroyed floral, wildlife habitat.

Gas prices will never be $2.00 again.

There are plenty of ways to help climate change that also contribute to energy independence for America.

Why not lower speed limits on the interstates? Why not up mileage standards for trucks? Increase diesel the use of engines in commercial trucks and larger vehicles?

I am author of the McGraw-Hill textbook “Retrofitting for Energy Conservation.” I can walk into ANY building in America and by end of the day show them inexpensive ways to reduce energy use by AT LEAST 25%. I don’t care if they have implemented every imaginable energy conservation measure – I know more, LOTS more.

Wake up America.

TomPaine1791:
Your rational approach is almost lost here on those that hiss at “common sense” like vampires at the dawn.
But please keep trying…
Until another blog – alas, Reuters is full of socialist cheese-eating, surrender monkeys (Simpson).
Cheers,

Hardly the case. The President is drilling because investors are hedging the dollar will devalue and thus placing money in oil, driving up oil prices. Along with the new Trillion dollar Health care debt, the bail outs, fiat money, there is no production and too many dollars for too few goods, the economy is shaky.
This move was purely a weak attempt to delay yet again the effect (inflation) or something this President(s) have not allowed,a quick free market correction. The drilling is due to poor administrative dictates. Government is the problem.

Okay Mr. Science, how is it that CO2 is a trailing indicator to temperature if man made CO2 is the cause of “Global Warming”
If it were true temperature would trail the rise in CO2.
Drill baby drill!!!

Tom Paine? I don’t think so.

How soon they forget! It was George W. Bush that lifted the ban on offshore drilling. Obama has just been stalling for time until it ran out.

Now he “allows” LIMITED offshore drilling – far less than George W. Bush authorized- and expects applause from his grateful subjects.

You do realize that 50 miles offshore means the States get NOTHING, do you not? All the fees, permits lease revenues and royalties – it all goes to the Feds, i.e. OBAMA so he can fund his commie take-over. This is all about him – again!

Quoting: tone88 Mar 31, 2010 10:24am
“wait….we have about 15 billion barrels off of both costs and we consume 2 billion a year? Is that a typo? That means those oil only gonna last us ~7 yrs? And the oil from Virginia only gonna last us 1 month?”
Commenting:
Estimates of reserves are always excessively conservative (in the quantity sense, not political). The deep water Gulf of Mexico was estimated to have 150 million barrels in the late 80’s. Now after exploration the number is 55 Billion. Even those numbers are probably stupidly low. More fields are found every few weeks. New large fields are being found in shallow waters, too (but deep in the Earth where nobody looked before – didn’t have the technology).
There is more oil and gas in this Earth than is dreamt of in the mainstream media, ’cause they want windmills.

Why can’t we build a train network that links all US states as well as planes do. Also, enforce all major cities to have an excellent and efficient metro system. Offshore drilling + these alternative travel channels would save energy! And investment in infrastructure will make more jobs! But I forgot Republicans will surely come up with some petty criticism.

Ivy24 – petty criticism..

Here try this, what took you so long to figure this out? Don’t you remember that it was the republican candidate that reccomended these actions during the campaign? I’m just glad people are finally waking up. Too bad it took such a loss of wealth, loss of jobs, and deficit runup. Maybe if they move fast enough our transportation system can catch up to asia and europe. It might take a few reactors beign built though….another republican idea that the president is soon to embrace as he moves even further right.

I support the President’s decision to expand off-shore drilling. (1) If the oil companies want to make the investment, building the platforms could pump hundreds of millions into the economy; (2) We are not there yet on renewable (3) we took on the chin for ‘putting the cart before the horse’ over spending more time on health care than jobs already.

@TomPaine1791-

You missed the whole point. I don’t care. I didn’t claim to offer up any new ideas. It’s drilling for oil offshore. It is what it is. My point was that it seems that no matter what this administration does there are some (people posting here are some) that just want to complain. I’m just voicing my opinion, as we are allowed to do as Americans, that it’s getting really old hearing the same thing over and over. I get it, you guys don’t like Obama. That’s your opinion and you’re entitled to it. All I’m saying is at least come up with some fresh material. Even Don Rickles has new material and he’s ,what, 100 year old?

I’m gonna make a platform 100yards out to sea, and call it “off-shore living”. That way I don’t have to pay for healthcare, taxes, etc. I can fish, filter my water, get a tan…

You’re gonna have to go a bit more than 100 yards. Not a bad idea, though.