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If the pace of Gulf oil drilling permit awards does not increase, as many as 20 drilling rigs could soon leave the Gulf, a major investment bank announced. BER Capital Investments called the current rate of permitting unsustainable in a report released Wednesday. BER’s report noted that the slow pace of permitting is not due to political factors, instead blaming policies put in place in after the spill. They have directly contributed to the current backlog of permits. “Rather than being political, the [Gulf of Mexico] permitting drag is more reflective of the increased work required to issue each permit...

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — A judge on Friday threw out Obama administration rules that sought to slow down expedited environmental review of oil and gas drilling on federal land. U.S. District Judge Nancy Freudenthal ruled in favor of a petroleum industry group, the Western Energy Alliance, in its lawsuit against the federal government, including Interior Secretary Ken Salazar. The ruling reinstates Bush-era expedited oil and gas drilling under provisions called categorical exclusions on federal lands nationwide, Freudenthal said. The government argued that oil and gas companies had no case because they didn't show how the new rules, implemented by the...

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) -- A judge on Friday threw out Obama administration rules that sought to slow down expedited environmental review of oil and gas drilling on federal land. U.S. District Judge Nancy Freudenthal ruled in favor of a petroleum industry group, the Western Energy Alliance, in its lawsuit against the federal government, including Interior Secretary Ken Salazar.

The Day Freedom Dies - Harlingen, Texas, June 21, 2011: It was 38 years ago that a group of journalist acquaintances gathered in my Manila, Philippines hotel room to tell me about the arrest of another friend who had written with disfavor about the Marcos government. They were not even allowed to visit or correspond with him in any way. These writers also showed me how newspapers and television presented events in their country that was living under martial law. Nothing reflecting disfavor of the government could be printed or voiced. Now we fast forward to this morning’s newspaper in...

The Republican-controlled House has passed another bill putting offshore oil and gas drilling on the fast track. The latest measure, passed 263-163 on Wednesday, gives the government a maximum of 60 days to decide whether a company can drill. Afterwards, the permit is automatically approved. There is currently no deadline for the permits.

With gas prices soaring, the pressure's on the Obama administration to increase the number of permits for deepwater oil drilling. Right now, just 16% of Likely U.S. Voters have a favorable opinion of the man who'll grant those permits, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, with a scant one percent (1%) who regard him Very Favorably. only 20% of voters have a favorable opinion of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, with two percent (2%) who view him Very Favorably. The former Iowa governor

..Former President Bill Clinton said Friday that delays in offshore oil and gas drilling permits are “ridiculous” at a time when the economy is still rebuilding, according to attendees at the IHS CERAWeek conference. Clinton spoke on a panel with former President George W. Bush that was closed to the media. Video of their moderated talk with IHS CERA Chairman Daniel Yergin was also prohibited. … Clinton said there are “ridiculous delays in permitting when our economy doesn’t need it,” according to Noe and others. ...Both former Presidents agreed that one of the main issues in clearing offshore permits was...

On Feb. 28, just after Interior Secretary Salazar declared that he was not satisfied with Gulf drilling safety standards, President Obama's drilling czar, Michael Bromwich, announced that a permit had been approved to resume deep-water drilling 70 miles off the Louisiana coast. Not a new permit, mind you, but one for a project that had already begun drilling before the Deepwater Horizon accident in April 2010. In the months ahead, Bromwich hinted, there might be more approvals, even approval for a new deep-water well. Maybe so, maybe not. That's the way it works with crony socialism. Just to show how...

With the unrest in the Middle East as his springboard, Gov. Sean Parnell lashed out at the Obama administration's stance on domestic oil production, saying the White House approach was having a tangible effect on the country's foreign policy. In a speech at the National Press Club, the Republican governor called the federal government "openly hostile" to oil-producing states, particularly for the delays in allowing Shell to drill exploratory wells on leases off Alaska's northern coast that the company purchased in 2008. "If it looks like a moratorium and walks like a moratorium ... maybe it is," said Parnell, who...

A new drilling technique is opening up vast fields of previously out-of-reach oil in the western United States, helping reverse a two-decade decline in domestic production of crude. Companies are investing billions of dollars to get at oil deposits scattered across North Dakota, Colorado, Texas and California. By 2015, oil executives and analysts say, the new fields could yield as much as 2 million barrels of oil a day -- more than the entire Gulf of Mexico produces now. ... In the Bakken formation, production is rising so fast there is no space in pipelines to bring the oil to...

A new drilling technique is opening up vast fields of previously out-of-reach oil in the western United States, helping reverse a two-decade decline in domestic production of crude.

Oops, they did it again. President Obama's grabby-handed environmental bureaucrats have earned yet another spanking from the federal judiciary over their "determined disregard" of the rule of law. Isn't it time to give these misbehaving government hooligans a permanent timeout? Federal judge Martin Feldman in Louisiana excoriated the Obama Interior Department Wednesday for defying his May 2010 order to lift its groundless ban on offshore oil and gas drilling in the Gulf. Nine months later, not a single permit has been issued. Several deepwater platforms have moved out of the area to take their businesses — and an estimated 5,000...

In a stunning display of bad timing, not to say naiveté, California Senator Barbara (don’t call me ma’am) Boxer has introduced legislation to prevent offshore drilling along America’s west coast. With oil spiking at $102 a barrel as of this writing, the wheels falling off what passes for foreign policy in the Middle East, and gasoline prices at a two year high (see story), Boxer has announced the West Coast Ocean Protection Act. Joined by the rest of the west coast leftists, Senator Dianne Feinstein (D) of California, Senators Maria Cantwell (D) and Patty Murray (D) of Washington, and Senators...

HOUSTON, Sept 3 (Reuters) - U.S. government inspectors found no leaking oil at Mariner Energy Inc's burned platform in the Gulf of Mexico, officials said late on Friday, allaying fears about more environmental damage after BP's massive spill. "Inspectors have reported no sign of pollution," the Interior Department said after government experts checked out the platform for several hours on Friday. The inspectors confirmed that the safety valves were shut going to the platform's oil and natural wells, pipelines were closed and the platform's tanks and pumps "are secure," the department said.

The Washington Examiner's Byron York asked an astute question after listening to President Obama’s speech on the Gulf oil spill: Who told Obama drilling is ‘absolutely safe’? York points out that engineers and scientists don’t speak in such absolute terms, and he can’t get anyone in the political chain to acknowledge saying that drilling oil is absolutely safe, and he even raises the possibility that the president was never actually told such a thing. York gets right to the most troubling possibility by asking what it would say about the president’s judgment – no matter who said such a thing...

Charlie Crist has called for a special session to ban offshore drilling. Many right thinking people see this pure politicization of an issue that should be handled with common sense, but are loathe to speak out for fear of a public backlash. Leadership is now needed on a key economic and security issue. It is the job of our state leaders to educate the public, not to kowtow to prevailing, but harmful, doctrines. Taking a correct stand on this issue makes political sense too. We will not win seats by ignoring the issue and allowing Charlie Crist and the rest...

Sixty percent (60%) of U.S. voters continue to support offshore oil drilling, but voters remain critical of President Obama's response to the ongoing oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico and are more critical than ever of how the companies involved are responding. Forty-seven percent (47%) rate the president’s handling of the Gulf oil leak as poor... The number of voters who give the president poor marks is up 21 points from early May. Thirty-six percent (36%) now rate his response to the spill as good or excellent

Louisiana’s race for the U.S. Senate looks largely the same way it has since the beginning of the year, with incumbent Republican David Vitter continuing to earn over 50% of the vote in a state with unusually high Tea Party membership. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Voters in Louisiana finds Vitter, who is seeking a second six-year term, with 53% support. His Democratic challenger, Congressman Charlie Melancon, picks up 35% of the vote. Three percent (3%) like some other candidate, and nine percent (9%) are undecided. In April, Vitter posted a similar lead over Melancon. Since January,...

With Interior Secretary Ken Salazar working to renew the administration’s push for a six month moratorium on deep water oil and gas drilling, media organizations now have the opportunity to balance out their coverage by reporting on job loss projections for the gulf region. Earlier this week, a federal judge in New Orleans sided with industry groups and ruled against Obama’s order. As the administration prepares to appeal this ruling, the NYT should ask Salazar and other key figures to rationalize their actions with hard economic realities described in the court ruling. The Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association and...

As I live and breathe I never expected to hear Democrats aggressively urge the Obama administration to lift the bans on deep water oil drilling, but that’s exactly what’s happening. For one rare political moment in history, some well known Democrat names are not only joining in the chorus calling for less government intrusion, they are actually leading the charge. James Carville has been making the rounds and, not only is he critical of the Obama response or lack thereof, he is renouncing the moratorium on drilling, loudly. “We’re dying down here” has been his mantra, and last night on...

In a display that was indicative of political opportunism at best and hypocrisy at worst, members of the House committee on energy ripped into BP as if Congress is the shining example of honesty and integrity. Time for a serious fact-check. Congress has no moral authority to rip BP if they do not include themselves in the blame-game. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon). BP CEO Tony Hayward with Rep. Henry Waxman, D-California, one of the worst of the extremist environmentalists in Congress. Some of the very ones on the committee who did the most moralistic sermonizing to BP CEO Tony Hayward are...

Apart from the fact that last night's address from the Oval Office was nothing more than a PR campaign for the cap-and-trade energy tax scheme, Barack Obama's false reassurances to the residents of the Gulf coast show that either he lied or he is terribly misinformed. At this point in the disaster it is way too early to provide reassurances to anyone, anywhere. The reason is clear and dire. The Gulf oil disaster is much worse than anyone will admit, and the repercussions for human life could be potentially catastrophic. Obama repeatedly asserted that the disaster will not destroy the...

BP is a convenient scapegoat for those in the U.S. government and the environmentalist movement who are attempting to avoid any blame for the mega-disaster in the Gulf. The U.S. government and environmentalists are actually the ones to blame for the disaster. Over the past 30 years the environmentalist movement has gained enormous influence over public policy and Left-leaning politicians at the state and federal levels. No greater example of this lunacy can be found than the opposition to oil drilling in ANWR. They successfully brought California's economy to the brink of disaster, at least in part, due to their...

In justifying its broad moratorium on deepwater drilling, the Obama administration emphasized that the measure was recommended by an Interior Department report prepared in consultation with scientists and industry experts. The May 27 report to President Barack Obama said the experts "peer reviewed" its recommendations, including the six-month moratorium and 22 safety measures. But eight of the 15 members of the review panel are charging that the administration misrepresented their position by suggesting they supported a blanket moratorium that they actually oppose. Their criticism, and the administration's response, are evidence that the six-month stoppage is based on politics rather than...

Unsuccessful in its latest bid to plug the oil leak off the Louisiana coast, BP on Sunday announced a new attempt to place a "containment cap" atop the gushing well one mile deep in the Gulf of Mexico. Robert Dudley, managing director of BP, said Sunday on CNN that the new remedy, which could take up to seven more days to take effect, is not a sure thing, and wouldn't capture all the leaking oil even if it works.

Five weeks have passed since the oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico. After five weeks the citizens along the Gulf Coast of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida are still waiting for government to respond appropriately to an ecological disaster that effects hundreds and potentially thousands of miles of coastline. (Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal displays a stick that he dipped into oil on a land bridge built by the Louisiana National Guard to protect wetlands on Elmer's Island in Grand Isle, La., Thursday, May 20, 2010. Oil from last month's Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion in the Gulf of...

OUSTON (Reuters) – A top U.S. official who oversees offshore oil drilling at the Minerals Management Service will resign on May 31, an Obama administration official said on Monday. The departure of Chris Oynes, the associate director of offshore energy and minerals management at MMS, comes as a massive oil leak at an offshore rig in the Gulf of Mexico threatens an environmental and economic calamity along with U.S. Gulf Coast. Oynes was named to his post in 2007,

The extremist 'environmentalist movement' as we know it today has very little to do with the environment and everything to do with politics. Environmentalism is actually a political movement to the core, committed to enacting policies that restrict liberty, free markets, capitalism, and human choice. And the tactics of the movement are on full display in the Gulf oil spill. (Environmentalists call for a climate action during the Earth Day celebration on the National Mall in Washington Sunday, April 25, 2010. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)). From the very beginning of the movement, extremist environmentalists have walked hand-in-hand with Leftist Marxists...

An oil-drilling procedure called cementing is coming under scrutiny as a possible cause of the explosion on the Deepwater Horizon rig in the Gulf of Mexico that has led to one of the biggest oil spills in U.S. history, drilling experts said Thursday. The process is supposed to prevent oil and natural gas from escaping by filling gaps between the outside of the well pipe and the inside of the hole bored into the ocean floor. Cement, pumped down the well from the drilling rig, is also used to plug wells after they have been abandoned or when drilling has...

Then-candidate Sen. Barack Obama criticized his Republican rival Sen. John McCain for changing his stance on offshore drilling. However, recently as President, Obama has changed his stance on off-shore drilling. "When I am President I intend to keep in place the moratorium here in Florida and around the country that prevents oil companies from drilling off Florida's coast," the candidate declared. (Jacksonville, FL June 20, 2008, source: BarackObamadotcom)

Energy: As the administration loosens restrictions on domestic energy development and offshore drilling, a reviled company develops technology to unlock America's vast shale resources. Drill, baby, drill. We have been among President Obama's harshest critics when it comes to the administration's overly restrictive energy policy, so we were pleasantly surprised to see him announce on Wednesday some light at the end of the pipeline. Some light, for many restrictions will remain in an energy policy best termed schizophrenic. Speaking at Andrews Air Force Base near Washington, D.C., Obama announced the welcome news that his administration will let lease sales go...

It really was only a matter of time. Thanks to an agreement the Carter administration recognized during his Presidency, Cuba has partnered with Russia to build oil derricks in the Gulf of Mexico. That's right. The left has spent so much time pushing green energy subsidies the Russians have now penetrated the Western hemisphere to take oil that rightfully, should already be ours. It comes down to this. Drill here and drill NOW! According to an article from the Washington Times 63% of Americans support drilling oil in the gulf. It really was only a matter of time before someone...

Although most polls show that the American public is in favor of offshore oil drilling, the Obama administration is ready to ban it.

The Congressional Research Service (CRS) sheds light on the true picture of America's energy resources. Their assessment looks beyond the Energy Information Administration's estimates of proven reserves to include government estimates from the U.S. Geological Survey and the Minerals Management Service to find the United States total reserves. The results show the U.S. reserves of recoverable oil to be 167 billion barrels of oil, not 21 billion - nearly eight times higher than the number pedaled by Democrats. Remarkably, 167 billion is the equivalent of replacing America's current imports from OPEC countries for more than 75 years. Despite what the...

Can New technology divert a potential Oil Crisis? We take a look at the latest technology and techniques being used by Oil Companies in the field of Oil Drilling. With our dwindling supply of fossil fuels, oil drillers are finding themselves in great demand and as their techniques become more sophisticated Oil Fields are lasting longer and producing more of the black stuff. I suppose the first order of business would be to mention the continual fine tuning and innovative advances that are taking place almost daily within the technology of “Three Dimensional Seismic Imaging. For those with their head...

The government is, increasingly, the enemy. Imagine the jobs, the wealth, the independence, and cutting the jihad snake off at the head. There is no downside. We could easily extract that oil with minimum impact to the trees. ..... For decades, Democrats have blocked efforts to responsibly develop this nation's energy resources, transforming vast areas of opportunity into "The No Zone." (hat tip Jim)

Last month there was much criticism over the fact that President Obama agreed to give Brazilian Owned Oil Company Petrobras up to $10 Billion Dollars to look for Oil off the Brazil Coast. This was especially disturbing when you consider that they Administration objects to the US Drilling off its own coast, which will work toward keeping the price of oil low and help wean us off foreign oil. Why would the POTUS pay for a foreign country to drill for oil but object to his own country taking advantage of his own country's resources? Payback. Last week Hot Air...

Energy: We balk at importing "dirty" oil from Canada, but others aren't so reluctant. Exempt as a "developing" nation from Kyoto-like agreements, China has decided to help Canada develop its energy-rich oil sands.The Financial Post reports that PetroChina International Investment Co. has struck a deal to buy a 60% interest in Athabasca Oil Sands Corp.'s McKay River and Dover projects for $1.9 billion. China has been establishing energy beachheads around the world in its quest to keep its growing economy fueled. With possible conflict brewing between Israel and Iran, Beijing recognizes the need for reliable suppliers like Canada in an...

Energy: As Russian attack submarines patrol our eastern seaboard, Moscow signs a deal to help Castro's Cuba drill for oil off the Florida coast. In Moscow and Havana, the cry is "Drill, Comrade, Drill!"Two Russian nuclear attack submarines have taken up positions along our East Coast in recent days, another sign of renewed assertiveness by the former communist giant. The move comes as Moscow inks a deal with the communist relic of Cuba to drill for oil we refuse to go after. The submarines are of the Akula class, a counterpart to the Los Angeles class attack subs of the...

Chuck DeVore discusses the hypocrisy of the Obama administration on offshore drilling http://chuckdevore.com/ - The Obama administration recently lent $2 billion to Brazil to help in their off-shore drilling efforts ignoring the revenue potential here in the US. Chuck DeVore describes the details behind this pathetic decision. VIDEO

Reporting from Sacramento -- Although 28 members of the California Assembly supported a measure to allow new oil drilling off the Santa Barbara coast, their votes are nowhere to be found in the official state database. After the measure failed, Assembly leaders expunged the vote altogether, sparing lawmakers running for reelection an official record of their controversial decision. The voting logs made available to the public on the Legislature's website do not indicate who voted for and against the bill on July 24. ... It wasn't the first time the Assembly has done this. The little-known practice of purging votes,...

It is estimated that there are anywhere from 18-95 BILLION Barrels of oil underneath our continental shelf. There are almost 7 TRILLION Barrels of Oil in the shale under the Rocky Mountains (to be fair, with present technology we can only get to around 800 billion barrels of it). Today America Consumes about 20 Million Barrels/day approximately 7.5 million of which we get domestically. My math tells me, using the minimum numbers (18+800 Billion) divided by 20 million, divided by 365 days, the US has an import free Oil reserves of at least 112 YEARS. Drilling would be a true...

Last week Chuck DeVore did his best to get the California Assembly to vote through the first major offshore drilling efforts in over two decades. After the Senate passed the measure the Assembly voted down the measure and later voted to expunge the record, as if it didn't exist. As Chuck noted: "George Orwell would be proud." Glenn Beck quotes Chuck in this 2 minute report. Glenn Beck on Chuck DeVore and the Orwellian Vote in California

SACRAMENTO – Among the proposals in the Capital A austere revised budget Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger unveiled May 14 is collecting $100 million by allowing new oil drilling in state waters off the California coast for the first time in 40 years. Awarding the lease would nullify a January ruling by the three-person State Lands Commission, which regulates drilling in the first three miles off the California coast. The commission rejected the lease sought by the Plains Exploration and Production Company to drill in Tranquillon Ridge, offshore from Vandenberg Air Force Base near Lompoc on a 2 to 1 vote, despite...

I don't think that anyone wants to destroy the US Coastline at ANY Cost. Even those who want use to exploit our energy resources. The fact is Offshore drilling technology has gotten much easier on the environment. Scientists know two things, first all the estimates of reserves on the US continental shelf are probably UNDERSTATED, after all its been thirty years since they have been allowed to take a really good look with the most modern technology. The other thing that scientists know (and that you rarely hear about from the MSM is that when there are leakages that cause...

The ban on offshore oil drilling that expired last September will be restored by “any means necessary,” Rep. Jay Inslee (D-Wash.), who serves on both the House Committee on Natural Resources and the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, told CNSNews.com on Friday. Inslee, who participated in a conference entitled "Planning for a Secure Energy Future” sponsored by the Washington Post, also recommended a ban on future drilling in the arctic, where he says there is a “gold rush” for oil uncovered by melting ice caps. But Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.), who serves on the House Select Committee on Energy...

Last week when President Obama laid out his budget the message he gave was very clear. The President willing to drastically mess with the economy to protect the environment. Obama keeps making the excuse that alternative fuel sources will help free us from foreign oil suppliers. That claim was just another lie by the President. At the same time he was making his speech his secretary of the interior was canceling 77 Utah oil and gas leases that had gone through seven years of studies, negotiations and land-use planning. In an instant, he eliminated hundreds of jobs, terminated access to...

Here is a new one for the books; Today, the Congress will vote on the stimulus bill that came out of committee yesterday. The bill is 800+ pages long. Think about it for a second, how many of those who will cast their votes today have read the bill or even know whats on it? Congress is rushing this bill through, because the President is pushing them to act quickly. That's why you see congress acting more like a bunch of sailors on a drunken binge, than people with whom we've entrusted fiduciary responsibility. While the President is rushing to...

The Senate on Thursday approved a sweeping conservation measure as it tries to reverse years of rollbacks in environmental protection by the administration of outgoing President George W. Bush. On a vote of 73-21, it passed a package of nearly 170 land and water bills and sent it to the House of Representatives, which was expected to give it final approval. Barack Obama is set to sign it into law after he is sworn in as president on Tuesday, one of the first moves in what is likely to be a more aggressive approach toward the environment. Democratic Sen. Jeff...

Nothing Screams "Drill Here Drill Now" more than this story. Mirfeysal Bagherzadeh, a brigadier-general of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards and head of one of the country's "Islamic Police" called for a repeat of the 1972 Oil Embargo. He demanded that OPEC Countries should cut off of Oil Supplies to Israel's allies. Thirty-six years ago, the Islamic countries shut off Oil supplies to the US because of friendship with Israel. In the intervening years we have done nothing to prevent another embargo. We have enough Oil reserves to supply the US with fuel for over 100 years, yet we still refuse...