Posted on 02/25/2011 3:36:46 AM PST by Libloather
House GOP to push administration on offshore drilling amid unrest in Libya
By Andrew Restuccia - 02/23/11 12:03 PM ET
Key House Republicans plan to argue next month that the Obama administration should act swiftly to issue offshore oil-and-gas drilling permits amid the political unrest in Libya and other countries.
The House Natural Resources Committee said Wednesday it is holding two hearings in March on what Republicans have termed the administrations de facto moratorium on deepwater oil-and-gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.
The administration has issued no deepwater permits since the last year's BP spill, and has slowed the pace for shallow-water projects. The Interior Department, which is in charge of issuing permits, has said it will begin issuing deepwater permits once drillers are able to prove they're complying with a series of new safety regulations.
But Republicans and some drill-state Democrats have slammed the administration for not yet issuing deepwater permits, and for slowing the pace of shallow-water permitting. Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) has even put a hold on a key Interior Department nominee over his drilling concerns.
The political unrest in North Africa and the Middle East has only heightened Republicans concerns. While Egypt is not a major oil producer, Libya, which is now facing major political strife, is the worlds 17th largest oil producer.
Oil prices have steadily increased amid the uprising in Libya. While the International Energy Agency and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries said Tuesday they could make up for supply losses from Libya, analysts have raised concerns that the unrest could spread to other major oil producers, leading to significant supply shortages.
Rep. Doc Hastings (R-Wash.), chairman of the Natural Resources Committee, has raised concerns about the effects of the unrest in Libya on gas prices. In a statement Tuesday, Hastingss office said the protests there could lead to record prices at the pump.
Spencer Pederson, a Hastings spokesman, said Libya will be a major topic of discussion at the hearings.
I think that whenever Chairman Hastings talks about increased domestic oil production in general, he talks about it in the framework of national security, and thats highlighted by whats happening in North Africa, Pederson said. I think that will be a strong backdrop to the conversation.
On March 16, the full committee will host a hearing on the administrations offshore drilling policies. The hearing will include testimony from impacted States, communities, and local businesses.
On March 30, the committee will hear testimony from Michael Bromwich, who heads the Interior Departments Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement. The committee is also planning a field hearing in Louisiana in April.
But analysts say that increasing domestic oil-and-gas production in the United States will have little impact on the cost of gas, which is determined by a number of complex factors. For example, the Energy Information Administration said in a 2009 that opening up large swaths of the Outer Continental Shelf to drilling would only affect gas prices by 3 cents.
Not enough!!! They should hold hearing every day (even Monday s/) on drilling in Alaska, Federal lands, off California and Florida.
The have the floor use it.
No kidding. The GOP should be holding press conferences warning of the coming disaster if this isn’t dealt with yesterday.
If Bush were President it would be a 24/7 rant.
We’ve got it let us drill it.
Good map had not seen it before.
The current gas situation, and probable crisis, should make all Americans take a serious look at Sarah Palin for 2012. Sadly, we can’t wait two years to get the “drill here, drill now” ball rolling.
LEGALIZE offshore drilling NOW!!
Apparently we need to start an oil party to go along with the tea.
Oil in the shale is begining to take off as well. The Bakken proved the technology and economics. Now it has started development in several areas.
Is there anything slower than GOP politicians? Obama’s Marxist think tanks had the porkulus bill ready to go a week after his inauguration. Boehner apparently was just shocked that the TEA Party gave the GOP its vast victory in the House, and he is STILL not ready to lead.
If the Republicans can’t get their act together and show that they are holding the Dems’ feet to the fire on government spending, drilling for oil, and other important issues, they will lose a lot of seats next year. TEA Party members will stay home.
Drill everything, and drill it now.
If only they had listened. One day the will.
This is just rhetoric, it was already done in 2009.
Lest we forget, the House would write the cap and trade legislation and the senate would write energy legislation.
The energy bill was drafted in committee and introduced into the Senate in June 2009 as S 774. It covered almost everything from offshore drilling to transmission lines to loan guarantees for the Alaska pipeline, to new nukes, to new permitting processes for offshore Alaska.
The only thing missing was federal OCS royalty sharing with the states. So Murkowski and Landrieu introduced a second bill(S 1517) that had the royalty sharing language in it.
Now, cap and trade is dead and Congress is headed in a different direction. Clean Energy Legislation
By 2035, 80% of the electricity will be produced by clean sources and 20% by dirty coal.
Clean sources are defined as Natural gas, Nukes, clean coal, renewables such as wind, solar, water, and maybe biomass
As for tailpipe emissions, that is being accomplished by raising the CAFE standards.
“the Energy Information Administration said in a 2009 that opening up large swaths of the Outer Continental Shelf to drilling would only affect gas prices by 3 cents.”
If I recall correctly, when President Bush announced increased oil exploration and drilling gas fell a bunch more than 3 cents.
Clean sources are defined as Natural gas, Nukes, clean coal, renewables such as wind, solar, water, and maybe biomass
I don't consider any of this an energy plan that strengthens America.
You and I probably think pretty much along the same lines when it comes to energy, since you're a Freeper.
I follow energy as best I can and believe we have all the necessary resources to handle our energy needs for years to come in known reserves of NG and Oil. As far as alternative fuels go let the greenies play their games all the want they'll never amount to squat overall. Love to have nuke plants all over the country but doubt I'll see them in my life time.
To get 14% out of renewables they’re going to have to start including tidal generators and such. Wind and Solar are a fool goal.
They expect the most growth in solar, biomass and geothermal.
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