lew after we nationalize the oil industry gas will be 50 cents per gallon On Feb 12, 7:16 am, "[email protected]" <[email protected]> wrote: > mikey: > > May you pay $10 a gallon for your gas. > > On Feb 12, 5:31 am, "liberal mike532 !" <[email protected]> > wrote: > > > > > Bush-Era Offshore Drilling Plan Is Set Asidehttp://www.truthout.org/021109EA > > MSNBC.com: "The Obama administration on Tuesday overturned another > > Bush-era energy policy, setting aside a draft plan to allow drilling > > off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts." > > "To establish an orderly process that allows us to make wise > > decisions based on sound information, we need to set aside" the plan > > "and create our own timeline," Interior Secretary Ken Salazar > > announced in a statement. > > > Alleging that the Bush administration "had torpedoed" offshore > > renewable energy in favor of oil and natural gas, Salazar said he was > > extending the public comment period by 6 months. > > > "The additional time we are providing will give states, > > stakeholders, and affected communities the opportunity to provide > > input on the future of our offshore areas," he said. > > > Salazar also ordered Interior Department experts to compile a > > report on the Outer Continental Shelf's energy potential - not just > > oil and gas, but also renewables like wind and wave energy. > > > "In the biggest area that the Bush administration's draft OCS > > plan > > proposes for oil and gas drilling - the Atlantic seaboard, from Maine > > to Florida - our data on available resources is very thin, and what > > little we have is twenty to thirty years old," he said. "We shouldn't > > make decisions to sell off taxpayer resources based on old > > information." > > > The Interior Department oversees 1.75 billion acres on the Outer > > Continental Shelf, an area that's about three fourths the size of the > > entire United States. > > > Environmentalists and some tourism-dependent coastal states > > oppose > > the drilling, citing the potential for spills and urging an emphasis > > on renewable energy instead. Energy companies counter that drilling > > has become safer over the years and that royalties from any finds > > would be in the billions of dollars. > > > "I intend to issue a final rulemaking ... in the coming months, > > so > > that potential developers know the rules of the road," Salazar said. > > "This rulemaking will allow us to move from the 'oil and gas only' > > approach of the previous administration to the comprehensive energy > > plan that we need." > > > "We need a new, comprehensive energy plan that takes us to the > > new > > energy frontier and secures our energy independence," he added. "We > > must embrace President Obama's vision of energy independence for the > > sake of our national security, our economic security, and our > > environmental security." > > > Moratorium Ended Last Year > > > The Bush administration had authorized the Interior Department to > > open areas off both coasts to oil and gas drilling during a five-year > > period. That move came after a moratorium on drilling there expired > > last year. Offshore drilling is already allowed in the Gulf of > > Mexico. > > > Both Obama and Salazar have said that expanding offshore oil > > drilling should be worked out with Congress as part of a broad energy > > blueprint, and not independent action by the Interior Department. > > > The move comes a week after the Interior Department shelved > > energy > > leases on 130,000 acres near two national parks and other federally > > protected lands in Utah. > > > In Congress, Democrats have long wanted to rewrite the rules on > > royalties from offshore drilling, arguing that energy companies have > > been paying too little. > > > Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., praised the move as an end to "drill > > first and ask questions later". > > > "The tide has turned back towards reason and a comprehensive > > energy plan for our country that sees promise in the winds and the > > tides, not just in drills and rigs," added Markey, who chairs the > > select committee on energy independence and global warming. > > > But House Republicans last week urged Obama not to close areas > > off > > the Atlantic and Pacific coastlines. > > > "We respectfully urge that you allow the five-year offshore > > drilling plan to continue because it is vital to our economy," the > > lawmakers, led by House Republican leader John Boehner, said in a > > letter. "Our country needs to remain on the path to American energy > > independence, and we believe this is a critical and achievable goal." > > > Jack Gerard, president of the American Petroleum Institute, which > > represents the large oil companies, said Salazar's announcement > > "means > > that development of our offshore resources could be stalled > > indefinitely." > > > 31 lease sales were proposed > > > The preliminary plan drawn up by the Bush administration would > > have authorized 31 energy exploration lease sales between 2010 and > > 2015 for tracts along the East Coast and off the coasts of Alaska and > > California. > > > The Republican lawmakers cited a study that concluded the > > untapped > > offshore oil and gas reserves would create more than 160,000 jobs by > > 2030 and provide the government with $1.7 trillion in royalties on > > the > > oil and gas drilled. > > > Congress last year failed to renew the long-standing moratorium > > on > > oil and gas exploration across 85 percent of the nation's Outer > > Continental Shelf, leaving all waters potentially open to drilling. > > > Then, four days before leaving office, officials in the Bush > > administration issued the draft plan, which called for energy leases > > in areas that until recently had been off limits for a quarter- > > century. > > > The Interior Department estimates - using 30-year-old studies - > > that the offshore waters lifted from drilling bans last year contain > > at least 18 billion barrels of oil, about half of it off California. > > > --------- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text - --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. 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