By John Sutter
On Monday, President Bush lifted an executive ban on offshore drilling for oil. Bush said the act puts pressure on Congress to reciprocate by voting to end its moratorium on offshore drilling, which has been in place since 1981.
Both the congressional and executive bans would have to be lifted in order for the drilling to occur.
Bush said the move would help Americans who are hurting because of high gas prices at the pump. Environmentalists quickly pointed out that offshore drilling will have no impact on gas prices in the short term, and could cause devastating consequences for the environment.
Jim Presswood, an energy advocate at the Natural Resources Defense Council, issued this statement:
“In 2006, President Bush declared that the United States is addicted to oil. Today, he suggested we get a bigger needle.
“The disastrous pro-big oil policies of President Bush and his allies in Congress have left us more addicted to oil than ever. Americans deserve policies that free us from fossil fuels and give us better choices that will bring down our energy costs, make our air cleaner, and help solve global warming.
For more background on the issue read stories from the San Fran Chronicle, The Oklahoman, Tulsa World and Washington Post.
I’ve pulled quotes from Oklahoma-relevant officials below:
U.S. Rep. Mary Fallin, an Oklahoma City Republican:
“It is obvious that one immediate solution to rising energy prices is to find and develop more domestic oil and gas reserves. Modern technologies have made offshore drilling safer and cleaner than ever before.”
U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe, a Tulsa Republican:
“Currently, 85 percent of the Outer Continental Shelf — an estimated 19 billion barrels of recoverable oil — is off limits. At today’s import levels, this is the equivalent of 35 years of imports from Saudi Arabia.”
Larry Nichols, chief executive of Devon Energy Corp.:
“For a long time, our political leaders could do what environmentalists wanted and still deliver cheap energy. But those days are over. They are over forever. And when they are asked about how they justify these bans and other restrictions on the development of all forms of energy, those are going to be difficult questions for some people to answer.”
Barack Obama, presumptive Dem. nominee for president
“This is not something that’s going to give consumers short-term relief and it is not a long-term solution to our problems with fossil fuels generally and oil in particular.”
John McCain, presumptive Rep. nominee for president
On Monday, McCain made lifting the federal ban on offshore oil and gas development a key part of his energy plan. McCain said states should be allowed to pursue energy exploration in waters near their coasts and get some of the royalty revenue. (AP reporting)
