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Sounds like a plan: "protecting sensitive areas in the Arctic...Alaska’s Bristol Bay"

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ProSense Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Mar-31-10 03:45 PM
Original message
Sounds like a plan: "protecting sensitive areas in the Arctic...Alaska’s Bristol Bay"
President Obama

That's why my administration will consider potential areas for development in the mid and south Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico, while studying and protecting sensitive areas in the Arctic. That’s why we’ll continue to support development of leased areas off the North Slope of Alaska, while protecting Alaska’s Bristol Bay.

There will be those who strongly disagree with this decision, including those who say we should not open any new areas to drilling. But what I want to emphasize is that this announcement is part of a broader strategy that will move us from an economy that runs on fossil fuels and foreign oil to one that relies more on homegrown fuels and clean energy. And the only way this transition will succeed is if it strengthens our economy in the short term and the long run. To fail to recognize this reality would be a mistake.

On the other side, there are going to be some who argue that we don’t go nearly far enough; who suggest we should open all our waters to energy exploration without any restriction or regard for the broader environmental and economic impact. And to those folks I’ve got to say this: We have less than 2 percent of the world’s oil reserves; we consume more than 20 percent of the world’s oil. And what that means is that drilling alone can’t come close to meeting our long-term energy needs. And for the sake of our planet and our energy independence, we need to begin the transition to cleaner fuels now.

So the answer is not drilling everywhere all the time. But the answer is not, also, for us to ignore the fact that we are going to need vital energy sources to maintain our economic growth and our security. Ultimately, we need to move beyond the tired debates of the left and the right, between business leaders and environmentalists, between those who would claim drilling is a cure all and those who would claim it has no place. Because this issue is just too important to allow our progress to languish while we fight the same old battles over and over again.

<...>

So moving towards clean energy is about our security. It’s also about our economy. And it’s about the future of our planet. And what I hope is, is the policies that we’ve laid out -- from hybrid fleets to offshore drilling, from nuclear energy to wind energy -- underscores the seriousness with which my administration takes this challenge. It’s a challenge that requires us to break out of the old ways of thinking, to think and act anew. And it requires each of us, regardless of whether we’re in the private sector or the public sector, whether we’re in the military or in the civilian side of government, to think about how could we be doing things better, how could we be doing things smarter -- so that we are no longer tethered to the whims of what happens somewhere in the Middle East or with other major oil-producing nations.

So I’m open to proposals from my Democratic friends and my Republican friends. I think that we can break out of the broken politics of the past when it comes to our energy policy. I know that we can come together to pass comprehensive energy and climate legislation that’s going to foster new energy -- new industries, create millions of new jobs, protect our planet, and help us become more energy independent. That’s what we can do. That is what we must do. And I’m confident that is what we will do.

So thank you very much. And thanks, again, to all of you who are serving in our Armed Services. You are making an enormous contribution, and this is just one example of the leadership that you’re showing.

Next up, an energy bill.

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donco6 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Mar-31-10 03:47 PM
Response to Original message
1. How will this result in "homegrown" fuel?
The fuel will be sold to whoever will pay the most. It's not "ours".
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joeybee12 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Mar-31-10 03:50 PM
Response to Reply #1
2. +1
This is ridiculous...the amount of oil is minimal compared to our needs...it destroys a wild area FOREVER!
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karynnj Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Mar-31-10 07:09 PM
Response to Reply #2
6. You misread the bolded quote
The wild area IS protected - both at ANWR and at Bristol Bay. The North slope has had existing leases for a very long time.

It also seems that the details of where drilling will be allowed has not been completely determined for Alaska. This Alaskan newspaper has a very detailed article. It does seem that there was a very delicate balance struck. It is also clear that competing interests can still take the issue to court before drilling is allowed.

http://www.adn.com/2010/03/31/1206793/bristol-bay-off-limits-arctic.html
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roguevalley Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Apr-01-10 12:34 AM
Response to Reply #6
10. its all wild and its all beyond fragile. You scar the artic and it takes
up to two hundred years for the scar to diminish. I hate this, all of it.
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karynnj Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Apr-01-10 08:56 AM
Response to Reply #10
11. I will concede - you clearly know more about your state
(I have only seen photos, which are gorgeous)
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roguevalley Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Apr-01-10 04:10 PM
Response to Reply #11
12. My dad used to drive 80' pipe to the slope and he got a birds eye
view of it. Its so fragile. Its a desert. I hope you get to come up. People are always so welcome here. I love tourists.
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karynnj Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Apr-01-10 04:28 PM
Response to Reply #12
13. Many of my sisters and brothers went on Alaska cruises
and they were extremely impressed.
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Cha Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Mar-31-10 03:57 PM
Response to Original message
3. I hope they find alternative
energy sources before they have to drill anywhere.. Even though I know they're going about this the most intelligent way..

"Obama pledged to protect areas vital to tourism, the environment and national security and to be guided by scientific evidence."

http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2010/03/31/31greenwire-obama-proposes-opening-vast-offshore-areas-to-74696.html

I also read that the states' legislatures would have the final say on drilling if it would come to that.

"Progressives need to relax on policy like this. If you read this article you will see that Obama leaves final decision to drill offshore to the states' legislatures. Additionally, there will have to be studies done by the oil companies before hole one is drilled. That is years away. In the Gulf, drilling couldn't begin until 2022. Where will alternative energy be by that date?? Will there still be the need to drill??"

From the Comments section of Steve Benen's piece on it in http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/




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zipplewrath Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Mar-31-10 04:02 PM
Response to Reply #3
4. That is the interesting part
It is a fairly weak commitment to drilling. It could be a decade or more before any oil actually comes out of the ground.

My problem to a great extent is the underlying logic, that somehow drilling is a solution to the problem. Drilling is how we got here. Carter tried to explain 35 years ago that drilling our way out was like drinking your way out of alcoholism. Everytime demand goes up, and the answer is more supply, there won't ever be the needed replacements. You don't replace something by increasing the supply.

We'be been drilling our way out since Carter. Sooner or later you have to stop. Obama didn't even address this.
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Cha Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Mar-31-10 04:08 PM
Response to Reply #4
5. I know..we agree on this.
"The proposals will be open for public comment for several months, then will be finalized by the administration."

Plan to send my comments in along with everyone who should be letting them know how they feel about this.
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Jennicut Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Mar-31-10 07:19 PM
Response to Reply #3
7. I am very interested to see where alternatives will be in 12 years.
Some people argue we need to drill for a little while in order to match demand and become more energy independent before real viable alternatives are produced. Others think that the offshore drilling is so limited it won't make a difference. I am curious to see how much oil really is there. I doubt there is nearly as much as some Repukes think.
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malakai2 Donating Member (483 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Mar-31-10 08:12 PM
Response to Original message
8. Bunch of wanking
That's what this is.

There is no "protecting sensitive areas" when oil and brine are pumped or piped or discharged in the vicinity. I watched an oil spill just this week leave the pipeline, leave the well pad, cross private property, and end up in a federally-protected wetland. The response was to burn it off, then wait and see whether that got enough of it to call it good. Wait and see on spills like that takes at least a few months, and if some of it ends up in bottom sediment, the entire wetland needs to be drawn down and the sediment removed and replaced. SOP when oil companies know people are watching. When they suspect nobody is watching, and most often people are not watching, SOP varies by company but is sometimes not nearly as protective of public resources or sensitive areas.

Throwing our two percent of global reserves into the global market isn't going to reduce our dependence on the global market, and isn't going to reduce prices. Might take a while for some of these leases to be developed, but when drill rigs are available and market conditions indicate these leases will generate profit, they will be tapped. It will enrich leaseholders and generate revenue for whichever government is issuing the leases, and that's really...that's about it. Looks good politically, makes the big money donors happy, creates several problems, and solves no problems. If you believe it won't happen because it's not currently technically feasible or profitable, or because you think it's simply good political gamesmanship, direct your attention to the goings on in North Dakota 1950-present for a reality check. Virginia, Alaska, any state to the political right of North Dakota will break its pelvis bending itself over the barrel for easy oil cash.

It would be much more intellectually honest to say "Do you like to drive, or feel it is necessary that you drive? Yes? Okay, this is how we're going to attempt to stall the inevitable increase in prices so you can keep driving as much as you like or believe you must. Costs will still go up, energy executives and traders will see their profits rise, actual surplus stock margins will either not change or will shrink. There are additional costs beyond what you see at the gas station, some of them painfully high but thankfully out of sight. If you don't like it, take the train or get a bike, or move closer to work. Oh, and cover your eyes and plug your ears, because D or R, we're going to do this anyway."
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amborin Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Mar-31-10 08:23 PM
Response to Original message
9. hollow doublespeak the fine print tells of massive destruction
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Rage Inc. Donating Member (429 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Apr-01-10 06:00 PM
Response to Original message
14. Whut? Bristol's Gay?
Well, no wonder Levi split with her!
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Kurt_and_Hunter Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Apr-01-10 06:02 PM
Response to Original message
15. I don't think Alaska, Bristol and protection fit in the same sentence.
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keroro gunsou Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Apr-01-10 06:59 PM
Response to Original message
16. he's approving
federal funding to buy bristol palin a lifetime supply of contraceptives?
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Teaser Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Apr-01-10 09:06 PM
Response to Original message
17. protecting Bristol's sensitive areas appears to have failed.
.
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jeanpalmer Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Apr-01-10 09:10 PM
Response to Original message
18. You fell for it
Edited on Thu Apr-01-10 09:16 PM by jeanpalmer
He didn't need to save Bristol Bay. It was already saved. Thank God. What he did was open up areas to drilling that are currently off limits.
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