On the heels of a Wall Street Journal report outlining America’s dependence on China’s tightening rare earth element (REE) market, the USGS released a report today revealing 13 million metric tons of REEs exist within known deposits in 14 U.S. states. While the largest deposits exist in California, Alaska and Wyoming, additional known REE deposits are found in Colorado, Florida,… Read more »
The National Academy of Engineering and National Research Council released an interim report this morning on the April 20th Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill.
According to the report, BP demonstrated “an insufficient consideration of risk and a lack of operating discipline.”
The 15-member panel of scientists and technical experts are still actively investigating the incident and will make… Read more »
House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Doc Hastings (WA-04) released the following statement on the Department of the Interior (DOI) Inspector General report regarding changes made to DOI’s 30-Day Safety Report that recommended a drilling moratorium. This report comes after Hastings and other Natural Resources Committee Republicans called for an Inspector General… Read more »
House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Doc Hastings (WA-04) outlined the following broad priorities for the Republican Majority on the Natural Resources Committee. Hastings is seeking to become Chairman of the Committee in the 112th Congress.
“Now is the time for Republicans to get to work and prove that we have truly listened to the American people.
“Like all committees, one… Read more »
Seahawk sells rig amid downturn in shallow-water drilling
October 14, 2010
Houston Chronicle
Jennifer A. Dlouhy
Seahawk Drilling is selling one of its rigs to an India-based oil service firm — and CEO Randy Stilley warns that could be just the first of many, as the company tries to raise cash and get rid of money-draining assets during a slowdown in new shallow-water well… Read more »
House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Doc Hastings (WA-04) released the following statement after Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced an end to the deepwater drilling moratorium in the Outer Continental Shelf:
“Today’s announcement isn’t time for applause, it’s time to demand real, straight answers from this Administration – especially when thousands of American… Read more »
House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Doc Hastings (WA-04) released the following statement on the Department of the Interior’s new offshore drilling regulations:
“The Interior Department today announced new rules on drilling, but still refuses to say when the arbitrary, non-science based moratorium will be lifted. When will the Administration actually begin issuing permits?… Read more »
Drilling Plans Off Cuba Stir Fears of Impact on Gulf
September 30, 2010
New York Times
Clifford Kraus
HOUSTON — Five months after the BP oil spill, a federal moratorium still prohibits new deepwater drilling in the American waters of the Gulf of Mexico. And under longstanding federal law, drilling is also banned near the coast of Florida.
Yet next year, a Spanish company will begin… Read more »
House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Doc Hastings (WA-04) released the following statement after House Republicans unveiled “A Pledge to America,” a new governing agenda built by listening to the American people that offers immediate solutions to create jobs, cut spending, reform Congress, and keep our nation secure.
“The principles outlined in ‘A Pledge to America’ draw a… Read more »
The Real Gulf Disaster
The Wall Street Journal
September 22, 2010
Editorial
On Sunday Federal spill-response chief Thad Allen declared BP's ruptured well "effectively dead." Now if only Gulf residents weren't stuck coping with the disaster the government created after the accident—namely, the federal drilling moratorium.
The White House has been struggling to justify this ban,… Read more »
