Drilling Bits: Less new oil exploration than meets the eye
April 1, 2010
Wall Street Journal
Editorial
Fourteen months into the Obama Presidency, we are grateful for small favors. So we suppose we should cheer the White House announcement yesterday that it is allowing new offshore oil and gas drilling. But this really is a smaller favor than the headlines claim.
The President… Read more »
House Natural Resource Committee Ranking Member Doc Hastings (WA-04) released the following statement after learning of the out of court settlement agreed to by the Bureau of Land Management regarding the use of “categorical exclusions” for new oil and gas leases as defined by Section 390 in the Energy Policy Act (EPAct) of 2005. Hastings had previously sent a letter to the Interior… Read more »
Although President Obama today announced what he called the “expansion of offshore oil and gas exploration,” in reality the President LOCKED UP more land to American energy production - as shown on the maps below.
Click to enlarge map
Under the Presidential and Congressional Moratoria in place from 1981 through September 2008, all of the Atlantic and the majority of the Pacific… Read more »
Following is a statement from Congressman Doc Hastings (WA-04) on the Snake River dam removal “study plan” prepared and released today by Army Corps of Engineers at the direction of the Obama Administration. Hastings is an outspoken defender of the Northwest’s hydropower dams as clean, renewable sources of low-cost energy. Hastings serves as the top Republican on the House Natural… Read more »
House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Doc Hastings (WA-04) released the following statement regarding President Obama’s announcement that his Administration will delay a new offshore drilling plan until 2012 and include only a fraction of offshore land that was available under the 2010-2015 lease plan:
“With this announcement, the Obama Administration is attempting to pull the… Read more »
Exactly one month ago today, House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Doc Hastings (WA-04); National Parks, Forests and Public Lands Subcommittee Ranking Member Rob Bishop (UT-01); and 14 Members of Congress sent a letter to Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar requesting missing pages and additional information regarding the Administration’s secret plans to designate 13 million… Read more »
Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Doc Hastings (WA-04) delivered a floor speech highlighting the Obama Administration's refusal to move forward with the current five-year Outer Continental Shelf leasing plan, essentially creating an "Obama Moratorium" on new offshore energy production until 2012. Full video and text of the speech follow:
Click here to watch the floor… Read more »
Watch Rep. Adrian Smith's remarks on the Obama Administration's policies of increasing taxes on and reducing funding for American energy production.
Click here to watch the video
Read more »
At today’s Energy and Mineral Resources subcommittee hearing on the President’s budget proposals, Rep. Heinrich (D-NM) questioned the BLM Director about new solar projects - only to find out that there are none. In fact, the Department of Interior has failed to issue a single permit for any commercial renewable energy project.
After 15 months with solar projects on the “fast track”… Read more »
Representative John Fleming, M.D. addressed officials from the Interior Department today at the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources hearing on the President’s FY2011 budget. Fleming stressed the important role that domestic energy development plays in creating jobs for Americans. “Our nation is at nearly 10 percent unemployment, and we need jobs, jobs, jobs,” said Fleming while… Read more »
