Bush-era offshore drilling plan is set aside

[sabra]

Source: MSNBC

WASHINGTON - The Obama administration on Tuesday overturned another Bush-era energy policy, announcing it was setting aside a draft plan to allow drilling off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts.

"To establish an orderly process that allows us to make wise decisions based on sound information, we need to set aside" the plan "and create our own timeline," Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced in a statement.

Environmentalists and some tourism-dependent coastal states oppose the drilling, citing the potential for spills and urging an emphasis on renewable energy instead. Energy companies counter that drilling has become safer over the years and that royalties from any finds would be in the billions of dollars.

"I intend to issue a final rulemaking ... in the coming months, so that potential developers know the rules of the road," Salazar said. "This rulemaking will allow us to move from the 'oil and gas only' approach of the previous administration to the comprehensive energy plan that we need."


Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29119940/

[villager]

1. Yay, baby, yay!

;-)

[NCarolinawoman]

2. Very very happy to see this!!!

:applause:

I've been having a love affair going on with the North Carolina coast, as long as I can remember. :loveya: :thumbsup:

[4lbs]

3. As someone here on DU already stated, "Thrill, Baby, Thrill !"

:D

If there's anything that's going to be offshore my state of California, I'd rather it be desalination plants to convert sea water into usable drinking water. Combine them with hydroelectric power.

If a "spillage" occurs in those things, what happens? Sea water goes back into the ocean.

[jaxx]

4. I can hear McCain whining now.........

Great move.

[kimmylavin]

5. Yay!

I like my California just the way it is, thanks. :)

I love this, though:
"Energy companies counter that drilling has become safer over the years and that royalties from any finds would be in the billions of dollars."

WHO gets those royalties?
And how long does it take - and how much destruction do you have to cause - to get one of those "finds"?

We live in a state just chock-full of sunshine and wind.
Renewable energy now, please.

[Bette Noir]

7. The last time California tried to collect royalties from the oil companies,

the oil companies responded with a multi-million dollar ad campaign accusing the State of the largest "tax increase" in history. Never mind that the "taxes" would have been collected on public resources, for the public good, which have been stolen for private use for the last 100+ years. If we had been collecting oil royalties, we wouldn't be in the fix we're in, as a state. (For any who haven't been following, California is so broke that it's not sending out tax refunds this year, only IOUs, which it is also using to pay its bills, and State employees are facing mandatory furloughs.)

[defendandprotect]

6. Good, good, good . . . thanks, Obama!!!

[kpete]

8. Bush-era offshore drilling plan is set aside-Obama team eyes renewables

Source: MSNBC

Bush-era offshore drilling plan is set aside
Obama team eyes renewables, seeks more input on Atlantic, Pacific coasts

WASHINGTON - The Obama administration on Tuesday overturned another Bush-era energy policy, setting aside a draft plan to allow drilling off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts.

"To establish an orderly process that allows us to make wise decisions based on sound information, we need to set aside" the plan "and create our own timeline," Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced in a statement.

Alleging that the Bush administration "had torpedoed" offshore renewable energy in favor of oil and natural gas, Salazar said he was extending the public comment period by 6 months.

Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29119940/

[Hell Hath No Fury]

9. This Californian is breathing...

a bit easier right now. Now, bring on the wind, wave, geo, and solar!

[boomerbust]

10. Put up

Windmills instead of oil rigs. Hit these pukes while they're on the run.

[Laelth]

17. Renewables, yes. Windmills, NO!

Wind Power BLOWS.

See the following:
http://www.keepersoftheblueridge.com/faqs.html
http://www.nortexwind.org/index.htm
http://www.stopillwind.org/index.php
http://windconcernsontario.wordpress.com/
http://www.savewesternny.org/
http://www.epaw.org/

Or just watch this series of videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNxvkrgoPLo&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_utFV2ukOtU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOd5tSZF3A4&feature=related

There's more, but you get the idea. :)

The United States is a LIBERAL Country.

:dem:

-Laelth

[DCKit]

23. Ever tried to find out who is funding those groups?

It's not easy to find, but much of the funding looks like a money laundering operation - or Six Degrees of Separation.

That said, my personal experience with wind is that it's unreliable. A roof full of solar on every home and business would be more than adequate for all our energy needs - provided we can get them at a lower cost and find an efficient means of storage. However, even at ~$4.50/watt, return on investment is <15 years at current electric rates.

Regardless, investment in energy efficiency is lower in cost and has far higher returns than any other scheme.

[Laelth]

24. Ever looked at who's funding the pro-wind lobbyists?

Vestas, T. Boone Pickens, and a bunch of other people who want to make money but who could care less about the environment and who don't give a darn whether wind power is a boondoggle, so long as it enriches them personally.

If we could store solar power, it might work, but the sun doesn't shine at night, and the grid must pump electricity 24/7 or our entire way of life changes dramatically (no computer use after the sun goes down). I am all for funding research. I do not support building either windmills or solar panels until we know they will work, and neither do ... yet.

Thanks for the response.

:dem:

-Laelth

[DCKit]

25. Solar doesn't work?

Geez, Mom's going to be disappointed. She's been living off-the-grid for the past eight years (thus, my personal experience with wind and solar).

After all the money she's invested, another $15K to run the lines to her house is going to wipe her out, but at least she won't be living a lie any more.

[Blaze Diem]

11. OUCH..Bush has got to be squirming a bit from this one.

Good for Salazar & Pres Obama for this.

[liberal N proud]

13. I can picture that little chimp sitting there twitching his face.

Fuck him

[liberal N proud]

12. YES!

My daughter thinks I am crazy, every time we visit the Florida beaches, I take dozens of pictures of the sunsets. I have explained to her that the bu$h regime changes rules to allow oil rigs and I wanted pictures of what it used to look.

Maybe now I will not have to worry about those gorgeous sunsets becoming obsolete.

[shadowknows69]

14. Whoo hoo! GObama!

[Soylent Brice]

15. mother nature sighs with relief.

*sigh*

[pleah]

16. K&R

[Auggie]

18. Wonderful news.

[gratuitous]

19. And the whining starts on Faux in 3 . . . 2 . . . 1

Heh, heh, heh.

[DemoTex]

20. But what about NEW drilling in the Gulf of Mexico?

"The Bush administration had authorized the Interior Department to open areas off both coasts to oil and gas drilling during a five-year period. That move came after a moratorium on drilling there expired last year. Offshore drilling is already allowed in the Gulf of Mexico."

What about drilling in the Gulf off of Alabama and Florida?

[paparush]

21. Good. Another huge giveaway to the energy industry averted.

[tabbycat31]

22. thanks baby thanks

As a resident of a coastal community (where the local economy is 100% dependent on tourism) I couldn't be happier :-)