The Executive Ban? It's Gone! <sniker>

[REP0MAN]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080714/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush

WASHINGTON - In another push to deal with soaring gas prices, President Bush on Monday will lift an executive ban on offshore drilling that his stood since his father was president. But the move, by itself, will do nothing unless Congress acts as well.
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The president plans to officially lift the ban and then explain his actions in a Rose Garden statement, White House press secretary Dana Perino said.

There are two prohibitions on offshore drilling, one imposed by Congress and another by executive order signed by former President Bush in 1990. The current president, trying to ease market tensions and boost supply, called last month for Congress to lift its prohibition before he did so himself.

But Perino said Bush no longer wants to wait. She pinned blame on the leaders of the Democratic Congress, noting that no action has been taken on this issue.

"They haven't even held a single hearing," Perino said. "So we are going to move forward, and hopefully that will spur action by the Congress."

Asked if Bush's action alone will lead to more oil drilling, Perino said, "In terms of allowing more exploration to go forward? No, it does not."

The president, in his final months of office, has responded to record gas-prices with a series of proposals, including more oil exploration. None would have immediate impact on prices at the pump, according to White House officials, who say there is no quick fix. But starting action now would help, they say.

Bush's proposal echoes a call by Republican presidential candidate, Sen. John McCain, to open the Continental Shelf for exploration. Democrat Barack Obama has opposed the idea and instead argued for helping consumers with a second economic stimulus package including energy rebates, as well as stepped up efforts to develop alternative fuels and more fuel-efficient automobiles.

"If offshore drilling would provide short-term relief at the pump or a long-term strategy for energy independence, it would be worthy of our consideration, regardless of the risks," spokesman Bill Burton said in a statement. "But most experts, even within the Bush administration, concede it would do neither. It would merely prolong the failed energy policies we have seen from Washington for thirty years."

Congressional Democrats have rejected the push to lift the drilling moratorium, accusing the president of hoping the U.S. can drill its way out a problem.

Bush says offshore drilling could yield up to 18 billion barrels of oil over time, although it would take years for production to start. Bush also says offshore drilling would take pressure off prices over time. In addition, the president has proposed opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for drilling, lifting restrictions on oil shale leasing in the Green River Basin of Colorado, Utah and Wyoming and easing the regulatory process to expand oil refining capacity.

Congressional Democrats, joined by some GOP lawmakers from coastal states, have opposed lifting the prohibition that has barred energy companies from waters along both the East and West coasts and in the eastern Gulf of Mexico. A succession of presidents, from Bush's father — George H.W. Bush — to Bill Clinton, have sided against drilling in these waters, as has Congress each year for 27 years. Their goal has to been to protect beaches and coastal states' tourism economies.

I like this move. I think it puts the stink eye on the incompetent Congress. Now, the real question; will the Congress lift their ban? Will it work?

[Elfie]

If the oil is there, drill for it. And ease the regulations that make it take years to get production going.

[Hornet33]

Of course it wont work. The Democrats in congress will say it's bad for the enviroment, Bush only did it because him and all his oil buddies stand to make a bunch of money, blah blah blah.

Never mind the fact that if it was lifted the speculators would HAVE to take into account ALL the new production, and availability when those fields come online, and have to reduce their prices because, hey we now have a ton of oil and we don't have to spend a fortune to ship it. The reduced price would benifit everyone in this country but then the government wouldn't be able to control the sheep like they want too, so they will never pass it.

[john9001]

why was there ever a ban on drilling?

[ZetaNine]

environmental concers.......same with building refineries, coal-burning furnaces, hydro-electric dams and nuke plants......now wonder we are energy starved. few to none since th 1970's..and sadly..technology has vastly improved the integrity and emissions danger related to these sources of energy.




can't have an industrial superpower do this to itself..........or you get............well.......... ..this.

[angelsandair]

environmental concers.......same with building refineries, coal-burning furnaces, hydro-electric dams and nuke plants......now wonder we are energy starved.

can't have an industrial superpower do this to itself..........or you get............well.......... ..this.

And the funny thing is, they're making better drilling stations that arent very messy from what I heard...

[ZetaNine]

true that....the hurricane that swept new orleans and came up through the gulf right on top of hundreds of rigs did not damage one of them.

the other thing they won't tell you.......is that rigs are very safe from leaking and disasters.....it's the shipping of oil that is the danger.

[midnight Target]

Soooooooo... It was a Presidential ban? So the Repundits harping on the libs keeping us from drilling were all... wet?

Say it ain't so!

[john9001]

sooooooo....... MT what will your democratic congress do now?

[CavPuke]

true that....the hurricane that swept new orleans and came up through the gulf right on top of hundreds of rigs did not damage one of them.

the other thing they won't tell you.......is that rigs are very safe from leaking and disasters.....it's the shipping of oil that is the danger.

Wherever you got that info is dead wrong. Here is a map of rigs and platforms damaged by Katrina.



Here is the source for the map http://gom.rigzone.com/katrina.asp.  

[midnight Target]

sooooooo....... MT what will your democratic congress do now?

We'll see. I hope those pesky folks in the minority don't cause all of our problems like the republicans have claimed for the last 12 years.

[Hornet33]

I'll bet $100 the Democraps vote against opening up those fields and maintain the ban on drilling.

Any takers???

[ZetaNine]

Wherever you got that info is dead wrong. Here is a map of rigs and platforms damaged by Katrina.

(Image removed from quote.)

Here is the source for the map http://gom.rigzone.com/katrina.asp.  

I should have been more clear....thank you for that.  damaged to the point of leaking oil.

[Sabre]

Soooooooo... It was a Presidential ban? So the Repundits harping on the libs keeping us from drilling were all... wet?

Say it ain't so!

The President said some time ago that he'd lift the presidential restriction if Congress lifted theirs. Dems in Congress said, "You first, Mr. President." He's now called their bluff, and the onus is on them.  Congress could have asked the president to lift his moratorium order anytime, but the plain fact is they don't want it lifted. Now, they either have to lift theirs or be seen as the ones responsible for continuing high energy prices.

Regarding the claim that no oil rigs were damaged, that's not the issue. Of course there was damage (most of it minor, if I recall correctly).  The point is that predictions of an environmental disaster were proved false, and the off-shore drilling technology proved to be extremely robust and enviro-friendly.

[REP0MAN]

Obviously Congress has no interest in protecting the environment, it's a smoke and mirror act from my POV.  So, one must ask, what is holding them back from allowing the OCS and ANWR to be opened and the building of more refineries? What is the underlying reason Congress doesn't want to increase our nation's oil supply, decrease our dependence on foreign oil and, hopefully, lower gas prices?

I'll be the first to admit that I am not the political mind that most of you here are. I haven't the time to read and watch all that happens. I am probably like most Americans when I look at this situation and ask the questions above.

Why wont our Congress do something, anything to help?