PrintJanuary 7, 2011
More Hurdles for Drilling
Even as other nations press ahead with plans for deep-water drilling, Obama continues to block offshore oil and gas projects in the U.S. Despite the symbolic lifting of the deep-water drilling ban back in October, no new projects have been approved. Even those already approved have been halted by the president's interior secretary, Ken Salazar. Now, in another political tease, the president has announced that drilling projects approved before the Deepwater Horizon accident may possibly be allowed to resume, though under strict new guidelines yet to be finalized. As announced on January 3, sixteen drilling projects that have been halted since the Gulf spill may be allowed to resume, but the administration offered no guarantees that they will in fact receive approval. Once again, Obama is playing "Mother, May I?" with the energy industry. It's good politics to appear conciliatory at a moment when gas prices are rising. But Obama never seems to...(Read Full Article)
