Bush Lifts Ban On Offshore Drilling

Congress Must Still Lift Legislative Ban Before Controversial Drilling Can Happen

(CBS/ AP)  Putting pressure on congressional Democrats to back more exploration for oil, President Bush on Monday lifted an executive ban on offshore drilling that has stood since his father was president.

But the move, by itself, will do nothing unless Congress acts as well.

There are two prohibitions on offshore drilling, one imposed by Congress and another by executive order signed by the first President Bush in 1990.

The lifting of the ban is what the White House calls a "two-key" operation, reports CBS News White House correspondent Mark Knoller. The White House said Mr. Bush, trying to ease market tensions and boost supply, wanted Congress to act before he turned his key by rescinding the Executive Order.

"The only thing standing between the American people and these vast oil resources is action from the U.S. Congress," Mr. Bush said in a statement in the Rose Garden. "Now the ball is squarely in Congress' court."

Mr. Bush criticized Congress for failing to lift its own ban on offshore drilling. "Failure to act is unacceptable," the president said.

"And now Americans are paying at the pump," he declared.

Congressional Democrats, joined by some GOP lawmakers from coastal states, have opposed lifting the prohibition that has barred energy companies from waters along both the East and West coasts and in the eastern Gulf of Mexico. A succession of presidents, from Mr. Bush's father - George H.W. Bush - to Bill Clinton, have sided against drilling in these waters, as has Congress each year for 27 years. Their goal has to been to protect beaches and coastal states' tourism economies.

"This proposal is something you'd expect from an oil company CEO, not the president of the United States," said Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., chairwoman of the Senate Environment Committee. "The president is taking special-interest government to a new level and threatening our thriving coastal economy."

Environmental groups, too, blasted Mr. Bush's move.

"President Bush has once again ignored the wise precedent set by his father and taken reckless action that has neither hope of reducing gas prices nor concern for long-term consequences," said Gene Karpinski, president of The League of Conservation Voters.

Asked if Mr. Bush's action alone will lead to more oil drilling, White House press secretary Dana Perino said, "In terms of allowing more exploration to go forward? No, it does not."

The president, in his final months of office, has turned to increased oil exploration among other options amid record gas-prices. None would have immediate impact on prices at the pump, according to White House officials, who say there is no quick fix. But starting action now would help, they say.

Mr. Bush's proposal echoes a call by Republican presidential candidate, Sen. John McCain, to open the Outer Continental Shelf for exploration. Democrat Barack Obama has opposed the idea and instead argued for helping consumers with a second economic stimulus package including energy rebates, as well as stepped up efforts to develop alternative fuels and more fuel-efficient automobiles.

"If offshore drilling would provide short-term relief at the pump or a long-term strategy for energy independence, it would be worthy of our consideration, regardless of the risks," spokesman Bill Burton said in a statement. "But most experts, even within the Bush administration, concede it would do neither. It would merely prolong the failed energy policies we have seen from Washington for thirty years."

Congressional Democrats have rejected the push to lift the drilling moratorium, accusing the president of hoping the U.S. can drill its way out a problem.

Mr. Bush says offshore drilling could yield up to 18 billion barrels of oil over time, although it would take years for production to start. Mr. Bush also says offshore drilling would take pressure off prices over time. In addition, the president has proposed opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for drilling, lifting restrictions on oil shale leasing in the Green River Basin of Colorado, Utah and Wyoming and easing the regulatory process to expand oil refining capacity.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and other lawmakers have backed legislation to allow offshore exploration. Their measure would pursue other ways to expand energy sources, too.

"Now the only thing standing between consumers at the pump and the increased American energy they are demanding is the Democrat leadership in Congress," McConnell said. "We should act and act now."

Nearly half the people surveyed by the Pew Research Center in late June said they now consider energy exploration and drilling more important than conservation, compared with a little over a third who felt that way only five months ago. The sharpest shift in attitude came among political liberals.

Democrats say they are for drilling, but argue that oil companies aren't going after the oil where they already have leases. So why open new, protected areas? they ask. Democrats say there are 68 million acres of federal land and waters where oil and gas companies hold leases, but aren't producing oil.

"Americans are fed up every time they go to fill up and they're right to demand action. But instead of a serious response, President Bush and his allies simply repeat the same old line - more drilling," Democratic Rep. Chris Van Hollen said in the Democrats' radio address on Saturday.

[thescooterscoop]

Use it or loose it? We already know that this move will NOT have a significant effect on energy prices here in the USA.

What we need to do is:
1) Get used to not using oil. Yes this will take some getting used to and a little ingenuity, but we can do it.

2) For situations where we HAVE to have oil... USE EVERYONE ELSE''S!

3) When every one else''s is gone, ours will be worth a LOT more. Sell it to them so we can afford to put high efficiency solar cells in all of our cities.

Solar power is the only REAL renewable resource. If we run outta that, we''ve got bigger problems than "how we''re gonna fill up our tanks this week".

[xmanborg]

Sounds like more Lip Service from the George W Bush.

Lets see some ACTION !

[louiville2]

Loony left Environmentalists are the reason we are in this mess. They blocked drilling, blocked new power plants, they are even working on blocking alternative energy example: There is a proposed solar energy project in California near El Centro, CA. where it routinely reaches 120 beg F. The planning is being blocked by environmentalist, who are fighting the power transmission line needed to bring the power to where it is needed! They are also working hard to halt existing hydro electric plants in the northwest!

[hologram5]

Like this is really going to help us at the gas pumps... Idiots.

[smurfcrusher]

Bush tried the same "sky is falling!" BS with Social Security to try and gut the program, also without success.

What Bush doesn''t want you to know:
1. It will take ten years for the oil to hit the market

2. Most of the oil will go to global customers

3. The price of oil will drop by about a nickel.

Thankfully, the Democrats have had their fill of King George''s gimmicks, and won''t fall for this one either.

I only wish King George was this helpless years ago, tens of thousands of lives would have been spared since his war of choice would have been denied.

[godseyesore-2009]

Dolt Bush.

[gopack443]

Unless they can force the oil company''s to drill in these areas it don''t matter. Looks good on TV I guess.

[rjsparling]

I have no objections to the president''s keepers trying to make a buck, but the offshore oil reserves are a resource that belong to the nation. It is poor stewardship, if not illegal, to use a time of crisis to transfer the nation''s wealth to those cronies, especially when they created the crisis. They want to get the oil rights to those areas now when the oil is still relatively cheap, then keep the leases in their back pocket, not to be used until they can maximize their profits at the nation''s expense. Use it or lose it.

[sleepyric]

typical political move. WH will now spin it to make congress look like the obstacle to the oil crisis. It will take until 2013 to see the first results, and even then, the oil we pump will go into the WORLD market, not just here at home. This is pure bush politics in the vein of "I''m trying to do something"..His policies partially caused the oil crisis. I hope we can survive the next 188 days with him still at the helm.

[skyk-2009]

DRILL,DRILL,DRILL till it hurts!

Posted by whiskyrocker at 05:18 AM : Jul 15, 2008

I believe that''s the problem. Those who are supposed to be drilling AREN''T.. The Republican''s, who are OWNED by Big Oil, are attempting to get attention away from the fact that THEY, Big Oil, already OWN the rights to enormous amounts of Federal Land and THEY AREN''T DRILLING!!

[whiskyrocker]

DRILL,DRILL,DRILL till it hurts!

[shameonbush]

According to the wonderful documentary Planet Earth, 3/4 of the world''s oxygen comes from the algae in our oceans, 3/4 of all our oxygen! Now I ask you, why would we want to tamper with this? We don''t need to drill offshore. I know that the price of gas is high, but drilling in the ociean isn''t going to change that, getting republican''s out of office will.

[oneworldusa]

I''ve seen a few lines at my pumps recently, and a little bit more aggression about who gets to the pump first. It is happening...not overnight, but is happening.

[oneworldusa]

Write your congressmen and encourage support for drilling. We need this oil to reduce foreign dependence over the next several years while we find reasonable and reliable methods of renewable and sustainable energy technologies. If we don''t, 5-10 years from now, if not sooner, our entire economy will collapse due to oil prices and the resulting food prices.

[randynason]

I hope Congress has the good sense to pull their heads out of Bush''s as*.

[dan3232321]

curse914

You are correct up to a point. I didnt understand your first sentance at all, though. The % that US consumption has dropped has been offset by consumption in other countries. Speculation is absolutely responsible for $30-60 a barrel.

[dan3232321]

rharrin1

So, you institute that moronic suggestion and the oil companies stop exploration and research entirely. Why would any company operate with a 50% tax rate? When Carter tried to put in the windfall profits tax, exploration stopped almost entirely until the tax was removed.

[dan3232321]

Boulderdash what? Make a rational arguement.

[rushlimbaug4]

Remember Ronaldus Magnus talking about the shining city on a hill. Well, there is no shining city on a hill without domestic oil, coal, gas, and nuclear power!!!! There is no shining city on a hill with windmills and solar panels and compact fluorescents and hybrids and ethanol. That has never equaled a shining city on a hill, and it won''t. The Democrats have turned the dimmers on in the shining city on a hill. The Democrats would prefer a blackout in the shining city on a hill!!!

The Sun is just too far away to render power from it!! Oil is the only answer. The technology to get off Fossil Fuel is just too complex, Oil is the only answer!!! Americans are too dumb to use anything other than OIL!!!

GOD BLESS!!


LIBZ!@!

[lovesamerica]

Boulderdash