President Obama To Allow Offshore Drilling in Virginia
President Barack Obama has agreed to allow offshore oil drilling off the Virginia coast, effectively overturning a long-standing policy of limiting such activities to the Gulf of Mexico and going back on a campaign promise made during his presidential campaign.
"This is not a decision that I’ve made lightly," Obama said while announcing the new policy at Maryland’s Andrews Air Force Base on Wednesday. "But the bottom line is this: given our energy needs, in order to sustain economic growth, produce jobs, and keep our businesses competitive, we’re going to need to harness traditional sources of fuel even as we ramp up production of new sources of renewable, homegrown energy."
The new drilling policy would maintain a moratorium on West Coast drilling and would veto some proposed new drilling sites in Alaska, but would also add additional platforms in the Gulf of Mexico, 125 miles from the Florida Coastline.
It is hoped that these moves will help decrease American dependence on foreign oil, create new jobs to help stimulate the recessed economy, and increase support for a climate change bill that would increase investment in nuclear power and biofuel.
Reaction to Obama’s policy announcement has been mixed.
"Opening up areas off the Virginia coast to offshore production is a positive step," said House Minority Leader John Boehner in a statement, "but keeping the Pacific Coast and Alaska, as well as the most promising resources off the Gulf of Mexico, under lock and key makes no sense at a time when gasoline prices are rising and Americans are asking ‘Where are the jobs?’"
Conversely, Oceana Senior Campaign Director Jacqueline Savitz told the New York Times that her organization was "appalled that the president is unleashing a wholesale assault on the oceans. Expanding offshore drilling is the wrong move if the Obama administration is serious about improving energy security, creating lasting jobs and averting climate change. Instead, the U.S. should focus its resources on expanding offshore wind and other renewable energy opportunities."
Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune said that his group was "very disappointed to see important areas like the Arctic coast and the Mid and South Atlantic stay open to oil drilling," while Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA) President and CEO Barry Russell called it a "welcomed first step to addressing the nation’s future energy needs" and Thomas Pyle, president of the Institute for Energy Research, accused the president of ignoring "the will of the American people."
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