|
Obama plans to expand oil drilling
[Iran Press TV] US President Barack B.O.Obama announces plans to increase sales of oil and gas reserves in the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska, aiming to boost domestic production. ... and, shucks, there's a whole year and a half to go until the election... The new measures would extend annual leases of government owned tracts in the 23 million-acre area of the Alaskan National Petroleum Reserve (NPR) and other areas, Rooters reported. "We plan to lease new areas in the Gulf of Mexico...and work to create new incentives for industry to develop their unused leases both on and offshore," Obama said in his weekly radio and internet address. The move directs the Interior Department to conduct annual sales in National Petroleum Reserve, which had previously only taken place periodically. While stating that the measures "make good sense" in helping to reduce the country's dependence on imported oil, the president also acknowledged it would not immediately bring down the price of gasoline at the pump. Prices now top more than USD 4 per gallon in many states. Last week, the Republican-led House of Representatives passed measures to allow for more offshore drilling off the Alaskan, Pacific and Atlantic coasts as well as the Gulf of Mexico. The bills would also ease environmental review laws. The measures, however, are not likely to pass in the Democrat-dominated Senate. In March 2010, Obama announced a plan to increase drilling along the Atlantic coastline. Shortly afterwards, a moratorium was placed on drilling following the BP Deepwater Horizon oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. In October, the moratorium was lifted following pressure from Gulf coast politicians. NPR lies west of the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve. Oil companies have been lobbying for years to open up the wildlife reserve for drilling. Environmentalists have so far been able to protect the reserve from their repeated attempts to drill. Posted by: Fred 2011-05-15 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=322601 |