Obama Extends Moratorium on Offshore Drilling

(CBS/AP)  Escalating his administration's response to the disastrous Gulf oil spill, President Barack Obama announced Thursday a moratorium on new deepwater oil drilling permits will be continued for six months while a presidential commission investigates, a White House aide said.

Controversial lease sales off the coast of Alaska will be delayed pending the results of the commission's investigation, and lease sales planned in the Western Gulf and off the coast of Virginia are canceled, the President announced at a news conference.

Shell Oil was poised to begin exploratory drilling this summer on Arctic leases as far as 140 miles offshore.

Those steps, along with new oversight and safety standards are the results of a 30-day safety review of offshore drilling conducted by Interior Secretary Ken Salazar at Mr. Obama's direction.

With the moves, Mr. Obama is exerting control over the response to the five-week-old spill amid growing criticism about leadership from the White House even as BP's efforts to stop the leak are finally showing promise after a series of failures.

Special Section: Disaster in the Gulf
Live Underwater Video of Leak
Arctic Drilling Suspended
Can BP Be Trusted in Light of Past Violations?

The president's announcements also could be an early sign of a fundamental shift in the administration's policies on offshore drilling, which Mr. Obama promoted and hoped to expand prior to the April 20 explosion of a drilling rig off the Gulf Coast. The accident killed 11 people and unleashed a gusher of crude that's now begun to wash up on land and cripple seabirds.

The exact causes of the accident are not determined but congressional investigators have released details suggesting BP ignored warning signs of instability in the exploratory well they were attempting to cap when the explosion occurred.

Mr. Obama, who on Saturday appointed a presidential commission to conduct a wide-ranging, six-month investigation of the causes of the spill, will travel to the Gulf Coast on Friday, his second visit since the accident.

Thursday's announcement and news conference in the East Room represents the first time he's opening himself to extensive media questioning since the accident occurred.

For all his power to make such rules, however, the president admitted Thursday he must depend mainly on the company that was leasing the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig when the explosion occurred. BP PLC began a new effort Wednesday to plug the mile-deep well with heavy drilling mud, a tactic never before tried at such depths. The company hoped to know by Thursday afternoon whether the tactic would finally slow the oil; as of Wednesday night executives reported no problems so far.

The maneuver's success would prove enormously welcome to the Gulf region, of course, but also to the White House, Congress, federal agencies and other institutions that share responsibility for
oversight, regulation and what went wrong.

(AP/BP LPC)

Americans polled by CBS News expressed frustration with both the global oil giant and President Obama for their handling of the environmental disaster.

Only 18 percent of those polled said they approved of how BP was acting in response. An overwhelming majority -- 70 percent -- said they disapproved. President Obama fared slightly better, with 45 percent saying they disapproved of his handling of the crisis. That still represents an overall negative rating, however, as only 35 percent said they approved of his words and deeds since the disaster struck.

At the Capitol on Thursday, lawmakers were grilling various officials at five congressional hearings. Topics included the Gulf spill's environmental damage, the administration's response and the impact on small businesses.

On Wednesday, Salazar told the House Natural Resources Committee that lax oversight of oil companies dates to the administration of Republican President George W. Bush.

"Essentially whatever it is they wanted is what they got," Salazar said.

GOP Rep. Doug Lamborn of Colorado asked when Obama's team would stop blaming problems on an administration that left office 16 months ago. Salazar replied that the federal Minerals Management Service, while heavily criticized lately, is still not "the candy store of the industry, which you and others were a part of."

(BP)

[sho690]

Yes the Gulf Coast does need the jobs from fishing and tourism but we also rely on the jobs from the oil fields. We are already feeling the effects of the moratorium. Companies are already laying off. We dont want to become a welfare and food stamp state. this moratorium in my eyes means no more jobs, bankrupts, Just my opion.

[jennab57]

I'm confused. Isn 't the moratorium on new drilling permits only? How does that effect the currently running rigs? Do they have to get a new permit to keep ruinning?

[jennab57]

I'm sorry, I didn't mean ruinning, I meant running! But that was kind of appropriate!

[TelSMom]

Let's just throw the baby out with the bathwater. Instead of finding out what went wrong and isuring that all other drilling has the proper safeguards, let's over react and shut down all of it.

[velma179]

Do you know what a six month moratorium means?

This gives the scientists, officials (both corporate and governmental) and other experts time to do exactly what you called for: "insuring that all other drilling has proper safeguards".

It is not remotely an over reaction. What? Do you think oil rigs can be checked for proper procedure, maintenance, structural integrity etc. overnight?

Sorry, it is you who has overreacted. Please try to see things in real world terms, not ideological or politically biased terms.

[stn_sage]

He was against it before he was for it,
Now he's against it again!

At the end of the six month moratorium,
will he be FOR it, or, AGAINST it,...again?!

Any guesses, you have a 50% chance of being correct!

[sngore]

Here's an idea: Hold the oil companies accountable for not following what was ALREADY the normal operating procedure before the accident.

[stn_sage]

Oh, my! That's a radical idea, pal! Hold one of these company execs or government officials accountable for their massive blunders or outright criminal behavior?!

The funny thing is: most of the public would be for that! While most
of the people in high positions in govt & business, likewise, are mostly against that idea! And, the latter group usually bands together to see that they are NOT held responsible for their actions! Cozy, huh?

[msimamaji]

I totally agree with jem0309. The public needs to get its act together. If President Obama doesn't do anything about the oil spill, every one blames him, not the oil companies. If he attempts to take control, then they call him a Nazi Communist or Communist Nazi.

Truth told. We need to develop alternative energy sources, solar, wind, biomass that does not compete with the food supply (Miscanthus, algae or even bacteria.) As Obama has often said, the leading economy if the 21st century will be the first economy that breaks free from fossil fuel. Do we want to be the leading economy, or do we want China to take over? (Guess what!!! The Chinese, notorious for their pollution, are already ahead of us in wind and solar technology.)

The problem is not Obama. It's the GOP Senators in Congress who have a God complex and are perfectly willing to turn the Gulf of Mexico into a toxic chemical toilet bowl if they can win the next election. If we are really serious about breaking our addition to fossil fuel then we need to get rid of the filibuster and get rid of the GOP - the party of NO - namly NO responsibility.

[memphispiano]

I am in complete agreement that we MUST develop alternative energy sources...but you are living in a dream world as to the timing. Even those wonderful alternatives have problems. Read about the birds that are being killed by these wind turbines. Remember that nuclear energy was an alternative energy source (which Obama's energy plan endorses) but we put it on hold for 30 years because of the same environmental issues that oil is causing.
The fact is that we have to have oil right now. And right now, we are slaves to the middle east. We have to drill....but we have to enforce the regulations on these oil companies. You might be able to do without oil, but there are thousands of Americans who need heat this winter or air this summer that cannot wait for your solar, wind and other alternatives to catch up. And for the record, Obama supported drilling.

[azfalcon]

Getting 'rid of the GOP' is precisely how we ended up in this mess. The democrat party has no one to blame but themselves - they control both houses of Congress and the White House.

Oh!Bummer promised 'change' and he got it. Now its "Drill, Barry - Drill"

[jabber2]

The whole idea that letting oil companies drill here will help us be energy independent is incorrect. The oil goes to the world market and not necessarily to the U.S. If only we had real journalists and independent media we would be educated about this.

[wjksea]

larry0304 May 27, 2010 9:21 AM EDT
ONCE AGAIN, this president makes a decision AGAINST the will of the people. All the polls show Americans still in favor of drilling because there is NO ALTERNATIVE.
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Spot on bro, I was thinking he was giving up on that government intrusion and socialism for not getting in the way of BRITISH petroleum as they repair the gulf but looks like he's back to that government intrusion.

We just need to eliminate the government. The only thing any of us should imagine paying is what it takes to keep business profitable, taxation is an obstruction to this. The nice thing about just having business to spend our money on is that our economy will thrive and we won't have to be bothered with voting. The free market will assure we have what it takes to purchase just what we need to keep working.

[AlwaysSmiling]

I agree. We don't need Government. I mean it's not like private business will spend money on roads and police and fire for everyone to use.

[wjksea]

RobAla May 27, 2010 7:15 AM EDT
Just because the federal government failed to do a proper job of inspecting the Horizon, and because BP failed to see that it was done properly
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I get so tired of liberals like you that think the government is the solution. The government is the problem. BRITISH petroleum is an extremely profitable global corporation that is equipped to hire the best and the brightest. Every time there is a problem, the liberals come along and try to tell the private sector how to run it's business affairs. The government has no clue how to inspect oil rigs. The oil industry is the expert here.

The government is the problem NOT the solution. The government just needs to get out of the way. Liberals like you are hurting the profitability of our economy.

[antoniof123]

Actualy according to our laws we the people are the government and that means you are the real problem.

I am sick and tired of you wing nuts saying smaller government and less taxes. What has happened the only Presdient that followed that was Bill Clinton and he was put to a witch hunt your you wing nuts.

Then lets take it further not all problems can be solved with just a simple solution. But of course wing nuts don't want to collaborte because there heros tell them they will be giving up something yes like there worthless ideas.

[AlwaysSmiling]

So you're saying the Government told British Petroleum to use cheap substandard concrete in the casing for the wells? And they told British Petroleum to use saltwater instead of heavy fluid to plug the well until they could cap it?

Yep, BP is a profitable company. At what cost though?

Call a spade a spade. The problem is that the management of the agency responsible for regulating BP (and other oil companies) allowed their workers to get into a cozy relationship with those companies. It's not Obama or Congress's fault. It's the management of the agencies fault. AND it's the Oil Companies fault for being greedy enough to cut corners in favor of high profits. I guess the billions in profit they're making off of Gas prices alone isn't enough...

[wjksea]

liberalornot May 27, 2010 7:23 AM EDT
No other country on earth spends so much time in self loathing. Democrats will help US to hate ourselves as much as any Terrorist Group.
-----------------------------------

The best way for america to feel good is to take Halcyon. I agree, denial is the best medicine and introspection of self and country are negative activities unless of course, weak liberal immigrant loving saps are the topic then we ought to follow the lead of the southern border states. That's a different topic but Mexicans should only be here to do the work americans won't do. Don't tread on me bro and give these people amnesty. Ronald Reagan gave all the amnesty necessary. It's a different time now.

We have been doing really well to be happy without the self loathing liberals. I just want to feel good. I think we could just talk about our great way of life. There should be more programming to address this and I think reality t.v. is a good start but there needs to be more.

The banking sector and the oil industry collectively have built a great economy that is serving the nation well. The recent downturns are part of a normal business cycle and accidents do happen. Government had the space shuttle incident. Reagan really pushed for that launch. His heart was in a good place. He really loved america and its people.

Liberals try to socialize things every time there is a problem. The only thing close to socialism we should be engaged in is assuring our large companies are able to be saved from ruin so that they can quickly return to profitability and get this country back to work. BRITISH petroleum surely creates many great jobs for american families all around this nation.

[jimbom121]

"The banking sector and the oil industry collectively have built a great economy that is serving the nation well. The recent downturns are part of a normal business cycle and accidents do happen. Government had the space shuttle incident. Reagan really pushed for that launch. His heart was in a good place. He really loved america and its people"

No the financial meltdown was not part of a normal business cycle. It was a direct result of de-regulation within the banking sector, plus a lack of oversight by the SEC and Federal Reserve.

The oil spill is again not part of a normal business cycle, its a result of a company cutting corners and being in bed with regulators.

Yes, these industries employ lots of people, but does that give them the right to do what ever they want without any repurcussions?

[larry0304]

ONCE AGAIN, this president makes a decision AGAINST the will of the people. All the polls show Americans still in favor of drilling because there is NO ALTERNATIVE. Most of us are sick and tired of being at the mercy of the Arab world when it comes to oil. Obama proves again and again that he will hurt this country any and every way he can.

[memphispiano]

This reply is actual to a reply from maintain_integrity. You claim anyone supporting drilling is clueless and doesn't know math but you obviously are not a math wizard yourself. First of all, there is a big difference between 3% of the world's oil reserves and 25% of the world's daily oil production. The 3% is of the TOTAL world's oil reserves which is massive. The 25% is of the tiny blip that is produced daily. 3% of the world's TOTAL reserves (if actually tapped) could meet this country's total needs for years...and has been proven over and over again, they keep increasing the estimates of what the total reserves are. In 1973, they claimed Saudi Arabia's reserves would be used up before NOW....and yet, they now tell us there is more oil there in 2010 than there was in 1973 (after nearly 40 years of pumping it out!). Even if our drilling did not free us from dependence on other countries, you have to be a mental midget to believe that pumping out millions of gallons of our own oil will not be helpful to that dependence. What planet do you live on?

[ConstantineXIII]

Maintain Integrity, I respect your comments and recent statistics show the U.S. has much more than 3% of the world's oil reserves. You are using outdated statistics. Moreover, remember it was Obama who gave BP's oil rig a safety award in 2009 and it was Obama who was the largest recipient of BP campaign contributions of any single politician in the last election.