Last September, for the first time in over 25 years, the United States Congress chose to support American jobs and energy by allowing the offshore ban on drilling to expire. Unfortunately in February, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar extended a public comment period by six months, prolonging a de facto ban on America's offshore energy development. That comment period ends September 21.
But now Salazar has hinted that the process could get delayed even further. Yesterday, he told reporters that due to overlapping leasing periods the Department of Interior has until 2012 to make a decision, and he's leaving open the option to keep offshore drilling tabled even longer. Salazar said:
"Whether we take that long or not is something we'll decide based on the information we collected [during the comment period] and the analysis that's been done during this period...I haven't yet reached a decision yet on what the next steps are going to be."
In other words, the public comments made during the notice and comment period could play a key role in influencing whether Salazar decides to promote a pro-American, pro-energy drilling policy.
Concerned citizens still have time to register their support for more drilling at YourEnergyOpinion.com, which American Solutions will deliver to the Department of Interior.
Salazar's suggestion that he might delay offshore drilling once again highlights a frightening tendency within the Department of Interior to ignore what Americans support. Last year, 1.5 million people signed the "Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less" petition urging Congress to open up the Outer Continental Shelf. Congress listened and lifted the ban, but will the Department of Interior listen to the American people?
Delaying offshore energy development until 2012 has serious national consequences, restricting not only the development of reliable, affordable energy supplies but also limiting job creation and economic growth.
According to the American Energy Alliance, offshore drilling has the potential to create an astonishing $273 billion per year in additional economic growth and almost $75 billion in revenue per year in taxes and royalties for federal, state, and local governments.
And these numbers are based only upon current estimates of oil, which come from seismic testing performed over thirty years ago. History has repeatedly shown that initial predictions of available oil almost always underestimate the actual amount of oil reserves in place.
A recent oil discovery off Brazil's coast, for example, could contain upwards of 30 billion barrels of oil, which is the largest oil discovery in the Americas in three decades. Yet shockingly, our own government recently announced it would help finance Brazil's oil drilling with a $2 billion loan while, at the same time, the Department of Interior continues to deny us massive amounts of energy and enormous economic benefits from offshore exploration.
At a time of economic hardship, Secretary Salazar should accelerate, not delay further, the administrative process to allow drilling and the creation of millions of new, high-paying jobs that will follow.
I find this to be extremely frustrating that these people will not follow the will of the people and will ruin the economy, make us depend on more foreign oil. I will vote against any of them and will continue to sign petitions until they get the message. We must stick together and vote these people out!
This is just one more confirmation that the government doesn't care about the welfare or the will of the "governed".
Off shore oil could be the answer to a sagging economy in that it would create jobs and provide needed venture capital.
Local (American) oil could also boost the dollar's value, thereby reducing inflation, and, in the long run, reduce the need for higher taxes.
This is just one more confirmation that the government doesn't care about the welfare or the will of the "governed".
Off shore oil could be the answer to a sagging economy in that it would create jobs and provide needed venture capital.
Local (American) oil could also boost the dollar's value, thereby reducing inflation, and, in the long run, reduce the need for higher taxes.