Obama: No Oil Drilling In Gulf

Last week I wrote about the Obama administration being held in contempt of court for ignoring a Federal judge's order overturning Obama's ban on oil drilling in the gulf. Obama and his minions ignored the judge, with the result that there STILL isn't any oil drilling going on.

NOW, we find out that this contempt will continue. The Department of the Interior, we are told, will not issue any new drilling permits. Not, that is, without "more details on plans to contain oil spills and runaway wells."
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0211/48900.html

The Obama administration’s top offshore drilling enforcer Friday asked major oil producers operating in the Gulf of Mexico to provide more details on plans to contain oil spills and runaway wells before the federal government will issue new permits to drill there.

The letters from Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement Director Michael Bromwich come amid criticism from energy producers and their congressional allies that the administration is slow-walking new offshore drilling permits in the wake of last year’s historic BP Gulf of Mexico spill.

Referencing the possibility of a new deepwater drilling permit being issued there by June, Luthi wrote, “Even if the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement meets the June deadline, the question remains: Why wait another five months? Since the Interior Department lifted the deepwater drilling moratorium in October, the industry has submitted numerous applications that meet new, more stringent requirements. Yet — nothing.”

Do you see the pattern, here?


The drilling ban was necessary for one reason: to close down those drilling rigs already operating in the Gulf. And it succeeded. Despite losing in court and upon appeal, the drilling rigs packed up and moved elsewhere. They're not sitting idle in the Gulf, they moved to places where they COULD drill. These rigs are portable, you know.

Now that the rigs are gone, a drilling ban isn't needed. All they have to do is not approve new drilling permits. They set out higher requirements for permits, which have been met in numerous applications, then demand extra "information" before permits will be granted. Delay, delay, delay.

The net result is that deep water drilling in the Gulf has halted, and it doesn't look likely to resume at any time during Obama's administration.

Obama may SAY he wants to help the economy, but this refusal to allow oil drilling is actively HARMING the economy! Part of the reason gas prices are so high these days is because of Obama's actions in destroying the entire Gulf oil drilling industry.

This Obama administration has no respect for the courts, no regard for the Constitution and limits on their power, and no intention of letting anybody stop them from doing something that they want to do.

In my opinion, 2012 can't come fast enough... I just hope we have a GOOD candidate opposing Obama this time.