Bush Lifts Ban On Offshore Drilling
Congress Must Still Lift Legislative Ban Before Controversial Drilling Can Happen
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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.
© MMVIII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.



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See all 455 CommentsI''m actually glad Bush said no change on Global Warming policy and lifted this ban on offshore oil drilling. It shows how completely unAmerican he is.
This is valid, Drill on what they already control thru leases...... Use It, or Lose It!!!!
Just like 9/11 where they used the deaths of 3,000 Americans to advance their political agenda these scumbags are using the high price of oil to further their anti-environment goals.
What truly evil people they are.
Remember he threatened to Veto, Legislation aimed at
better mileage,
said at the time, It would be bad for the Car Industry.
You did a heck of a Job SHRUBBIE!!!!!
With demand plummeting and supply staying constant soon enough there will be so much oil there will be nowhere to put it.
The oil companies will now have to get OPEC to pump less - even as the Republicans are demanding we destroy our wildlands and natural areas to drill for oil.
It''s the Republican plan - screw America, support the terrorists and stuff their pockets with money.
Posted by ajayvee at 10:34 AM : Jul 14, 2008
To whom are you referring to as a crime boss? The people of the United States of America? Because this is what WE THE PEOPLE want and Bush is simply (and finally!) capitulating.
The state of Florida bans US energy companies from off shore drilling within 300 miles of the coast but, China signed oil drilling deals with Cuba that by international law allows them to drill within 100 miles of the Florida coast. China will be in our back yard sucking up oil & then will most likely sell it right back to us.
This president has used his position to reap fortunes for his defense and oil buddies. All this for a resource that MAY last another 40 years...
Had Bu$h been a visionary, instead of a CorpWhore, those countless trillion$ he squandered would have made a decent down-payment on an alternate energy future for our USA...
Too bad no one will stop thinking oil and start thinking renewable.
Posted by jumkey at
Yeah, Bush and his base (the have mores) seem to be holding a fire sale in the last months of his presidency. They are trying to steal as much as they can before the spigot is turned off next January.
Exhibit A: todays latest outrage from Bush.
Bravo! I couldn''t agree more, but may I amend your suggestion and change it to "force the oil giants to build refineries"? If we encourage them, they''ll just ignore us and stay with the status quo.
Peace
Yea!! We can sell those leases to China. Give those jobs to the Chinese & let them make the money selling all that dirty American crude to...............Americans.
Posted by Conservalib
It IS amazing that with all of the flammable substances that exist in this world, today, no one has come up with a successful method of using any of them to power our vehicles, other than gasoline. Really, it amazes me.
Posted by rafterman1 at 10:53 AM : Jul 14, 2008
FYI the oil companies would love to build more refineries, except everytime they try the Eco-Nazi''s
Judge shop and get some black robe to put the needs
of some (fill in the blank endagered species). Ahead
of the working person who needs to fill his or her
tank to work and feed thier Family.
Of course a real shortage could be easily contrived as was done back in the ''70''s when Bush''s Saudi friends helped create the Arab Oil Embargo shortage which raised gas above the 50-cents a gallon mark for the first time in history. Now we''ve come a long way baby under Bush and his loving Saudi buddy Bandar Bush. Of course if you are a Bush-loving idiot you never saw the Michael Moore 911 film that highlighted this wonderful relationship of the Bush Royal Family with the Saudi Royal family.
So what this is really all about is getting and giving yet more power to the oil companies-- they want those leases even if they wait and use them later after oil goes to $200/barrel.
Since they have more than 68-million acres of unused leases (including off-shore) now they want even more and they are going to charge the US for them too. This sold-out liar of a president is so in the hip pocket of big oil and the Saudis that it should make every American sick of his and his father''s lies.
I believe that what "guad07rg" is saying is true. Whenever ANY company tries to develop any property, almost anywhere, there is always a group of tree-huggers kicking and screaming that it will destroy the habitat of this or that cute little creature. Now you''ve got lawyers for both sides involved and the whole thing ends up on some trial calender for who knows when. Maybe the Feds could somehow stop all the protests and let the oil companies do what they do, drill.
A conservator would have the power to run the companies -- but not the authority to shut them down. According to theNew York Times, the shares of the companies would become all but worthless, and losses on mortgages they hold or guarantee would be made up by the federal government.
It''s still hard to tell whether such a dire outcome will occur. Public officials, from Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson to Fed chairman Ben Bernanke, and the companies themselves are keeping a stiff upper lip, trying to calm the waters by issuing statements saying that all is well -- even if it isn''t. In case you forgot, however, that''s how you try to forestall a run on the bank.
the last para is exectly what they are doing..their is no money in the bank
and powerless. A strong middle class creates a strong democracy. Breaking us down has been the plan since Bush came into office.
gull island off of alaska. already drill and cap , ready to give americans more oil and gas than we can haddle for the next 1000 years,
call your con/sen/ and ask why??????????????
if everyone knew that we had more oil and gas than saudi,and russia. than oil and gas would be as cheap as it was in the 50"s..
Posted by getoffmine
_____________________
Oil companies want to make money. Perhaps there isn''t much worth investing in those acres. But no matter what anyone says.... you know best, don''t you?
Bush did not unilaterally do anything which can allow offshore drilling. He rescinded a long standing Executive Order against drilling in some areas. Drilling in those areas is still prohibited unless Congress rescinds matching legislation long in place.
However, don''t hold your breath for the ''do nothing'' Democrat controlled Congress to do anything. They''ve kept every worthwhile program stuck in committee for the last 18+ months, trying to tighten the screws on the American public in advance of the election. The more dissatisfied they can make you by their (in)actions, the more they know that people will blame it on the White House.
Have you ever seen where the drilling will take place. It is not those lovely mountains and forests. It is desolate, barren worse than Purdo!
Do the google Earth thing and check it out. There is no wildlife, trees, rivers, or mountains. Just barren rock.
Yeah the US has more gas and oil, but Exxon who netted what $10B last qtr would rather not spend the money to get it.
As well they nte $10B and the judge reduces the fine to $500M makes sense to me.
The answer: Unlike our Democratic Congress, the Russians are not stupid.
In fact the only thing the oil company wants is to be able to drive oil prices so low it can kill any chance of green energy becomming the norm in the not to distant future.
This has all happened before, once oil prices become low enough all the investment in green techologies will evaporate. We will be in the pockets of the oil companies... and that is just what they want.
We either toughen up, and tell th eoil companies to go suck it, or we will forever be controlled by the industry.
America is falling apart, and the only way to fix it is to create new energy or energy saving infrastgrucutres that create high paying jobs for the masses.
What the oil industry and the majority of the welathy really want is the abiltity to control us. Oil dependancy has always been the means to the ways of cotrolling the masses and funneling extreme wealth to the few who use it against us in our own governement and media.
I''m sick and tired of oil... and I say let oil proces keep rising... and force our transisition into gree technologies and suck the welath from the oil industry who refuses to invest its billions in profits into these necesssary techologies.
Posted by getoffmine
_____________________
Oil companies want to make money. Perhaps there isn''''t much worth investing in those acres. But no matter what anyone says.... you know best, don''''t you?
Posted by unmunificent at 11:13 AM : Jul 14, 2008
-------------------------------
My response: AND, YOU know better unmunificent?!
Perhaps, they just want to get the rest of the parcels while they totally own this president! If
the Mid-East goes up in flames in the near future,
those remaining parcels increase in value enormously!
And for now---until more were discovered---they be all that''s left! Let''em drill what they have, before they start whining for more!
This mindless wastrel we call our president will go down in history as the most despised and dishonorable man who has ever lived in the White House.
But then RINOpublican suporters are dumber than a bag of hammers anyway so they won''t pay attention to the reality of the situation.
http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/content/jun2008/db20080619_412349.htm?campaign_id=rss_daily
Oil: New Drilling Wouldn''t Cut Prices
It would be years before production hits the market%u2014and Big Oil would have to spend heavily. Even then, prices may not drop
Drill more. That''s the best we can do, huh. That''s the biggest stretch of our imagination. And there is no guarantee that it will impact prices at all.
Oil has controlled this country for so long. We are losing the lives of brave men and women everyday to protect it.
Necessity is the mother of invention. Let''s keep on message and get off the juice.
do any of these people who are polled know of what they''re speaking to? i doubt it.
keep saying it over and over ... and the masses begin repeating it too.
Federal energy analysts say it would take 10 years for production to begin, and its impact could be very modest
By Marianne Lavelle
Posted May 23, 2008
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http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/national/2008/05/23/arctic-drilling-wouldnt-cool-high-oil-prices.html
There is a major conspiracy to artificially inflate oil prices and to weaken the American worker. This is a greed issue, and a control issue. These power mogers will do whateveer they need to do to maintain there power and wealth. They are American companies with absolultly no patriotism in them. BUT they will pump the media full of patriotic slogans and testimonies why they laugh themselves to the bank and to the pockets of our own government.
I don''t trust what really controls America, and time is past due for Americans to step up and take control of their own country. Say no to big oil... ask important question about Gull Island and other already existing oil wells that are not being used... and Why aren''t they ???
The Dimwitocratic congress has done nothing during the two years they have been in power but put their finger in their noses and blame Bush. Now the ball is firmly in her court, can $7.00 a gallon be far behind??
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