Obama's offshore drilling policy is actually a triangulating stroke of political genius

I know it's really easy for people to kneejerk themselves by saying that Obama is for polluting beaches and destroying Atlantic City's board walk with the announcement about offshore drilling.

But anyone who has been paying attention to this issue knows that there have been millions of acres offshore that have permits to drill for YEARS and are not being drilled. The oil and natural gas industry has basically been sitting at the intersection with the green light and not bothered to stomp on the gas pedal.

Here's a great assessment:



So why haven't the oil and gas industry drilled for more? Because if they invest in drilling structures and put more product on the market, then the product would get CHEAPER.



Here's a map that indicates where a lot of the permits to drill are. These permits have been ready for years and still hardly any drilling has happened.

Again, the oil and gas industry has had the green light to drill and they have not done it. Additionally, when it comes to drilling off of states, it is essentially political suicide for a governor to say they need to drill offshore. Classic NIMBY behavior kicks in when people who have beachfront property and whine about wanting to drill for oil in the US realize that there would be a bunch of oil wells floating near their seaside golf resorts.

What this policy does is essentially call the oil and gas industry's bluff and be able to get newer environmental legislation that works toward alternative energy and caps on carbon. And the Republicans can't say they are going to fight Obama on offshore drilling.

It's freakin' brilliant!

Drill here, drill now.

I hated it when McPalin said, I still do. :puke:

It's right wing ass kissing cowardice.

Why haven't they drilled? They had the permits! They've had the green light in some cases for decades! But they don't actually want to drill because it's expensive, it puts more product on the market making their profits smaller and the risks are too high for their corporate greenwashed brand.

Maybe politics is too complicated for some.

I'd feel better about this if there were a mechanism to force oil companies to drill in already-leased areas if they're going to obtain leases in new ones.

Failing that, I think there should be a default mechanism where the leases on undrilled areas expire if they're not used.

As posted in other parts of this thread, there is already growing opposition to it. NASA, the Navy and the Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority are against it. Not just the environmental groups. We're not even talking about NIMBYs in the beach towns there (having lived near there I know the area) that will fight against it.

http://www.bluecommonwealth.com/diary/141/accomack-county-board-of-supervisors-votes-in-opposition-to-offshore-drilling

It's more about getting the Republicans to get handed a carrot so that they have to sign on to alternative energy policy.

the gain of a comprehensive climate bill going through. Puke votes had better be there though. I live in Virginia and we'll see if drilling ever happens. If it does it can be WOTH. Beachgoers would never see it. In reality, wind farms have that same problem and the VA coast is a pretty decent place to put them. The spill risk would be mitigated by the same distance.

This whole issue is just a red herring. Any production is so far away that it really won't matter. It's cheap political cred and Obama is smart to take it. Obama also protected a huge swath of wilderness in Alaska.

Nah, they're NOT smarter than a third-grader...

:evilgrin:
rocktivity

The true reason that Obama did this was to give Liberals something to bitch at about him, otherwise how could their lives be fulfilled? :shrug:

It will destroy shit and mess shit up but at least it will destroy shit and mess shit up for Republicans and the fish, and the water and shit in those areas and bring down their property values.

It seems like you just said, "It's a good idea because Barack says so."

destroy the water fish and oceans where republicans live.

That is the sarcastic part the last part, not just republicans live there and fish and the oceans don't have party affiliation.

Why kill and destroy them in the process?

Voted for the President Obama in 2008, has a Democratic senator, legislature, and governor.

Guess people will have to find a new meme.

Or ignore these facts.

I have a hunch which option we'll be seeing.

They won't use the permits that they already have.

Why?

Because if they flood the market, they lose money.

If they have an environmental disaster, they lose their reputation.

If they compete with each other to try to make more offshore drilling happen where states have to approve, they will be in court for years fighting the beachfront property NIMBYs.

So what does it do?

It makes the Republicans agree with Obama on offshore drilling and then work with him on alternative energy policy OR they fight Obama on offshore drilling and be seen for the phony assholes that they are.

Door number one... or Door number two.

I don't like the idea of him doing it they would be destroying those areas and even though they are red states Liberals do go there. Plus the fish and oceans don't have political affiliation.

I mean if he was gonna do it this is the only way to do it. It is just that he campaigned against it and should have stuck to that.

because it wouldn't have to cross oceans, and in the case of Canada, a border! Do you really think the oil companies want to go for that--especially if Obama funnels a portion of the profits into deficit reduction?

:headbang:
rocktivity

Oil is sold on the global market and if the Chinese want to buy the oil that is drilled off our shores the oil cos. will sell it to them. The amount that offshore drilling will be a drop in the global bucket so any changes to the price will be negligible.

What sense does it make to import oil we're finding domestically? Oops, did I say SENSE?"

:headbang:
rocktivity

I don't see the banksters going along with this.

If the price at the pump doesn't change, no one's going to care. You can stack the oil platforms twenty deep, but if gas is still 3 bucks a gallon you won't draw anyone's interest.

Except for maybe a few rednecks saying, "Hey, at least we ain't buyin' from them A-rabs anymore," and they're not likely to support Democrats in any event.

most of the area on that map is are unavailable for lease until 2012. These are the areas that they want to open up. How is area not available for lease equal to the oil companies having "permits to drill for YEARS and are not being drilled."?

http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2010/03/31/science/earth/31energy-graf01.html?ref=earth

Note the "newly approved" areas on the map. They correspond to the areas currently unavailable for leasing. It appears that the "millions of square miles" everyone is referring to is confined to the Gulf and a small chunk near Virginia. Kind of a misleading argument.

"Because if they invest in drilling structures and put more product on the market, then the product would get CHEAPER."

Not really. They'll just sell it to China or India, since there's no law saying that oil drilled here has to be sold here.

The point about open permits and leases is that they have been available for years. Mentioning the Gulf of Mexico and Virginia as new areas to drill are only part of the argument. The Gulf is saturated with offshore oil drilling vessels as well as where the Strategic Petroleum Reserves is located. Oil and natural gas companies are actually loath to put even more rigs in the very susceptible hurricane-pummeled region.


http://www.mms.gov/offshore/220.htm

As for the Virginia Lease Sale 220 issue, here's some recent release on that:



There is already growing opposition to this:
http://www.virginia.sierraclub.org/StopLeaseSale.html

The NIMBYs will drag this into the ditch.

As for exports/imports internationally, here's the skinny...

because 99% of the people will take what he's doing at face value. They don't understand 3-d chess, and don't need to when it comes to offshotre drilling.

If these properties were never going to be drilled, the oil companies wouldn't pay for them. They pay for them because some day they will drill them. Obama is about to open them up to drilling, plain and simple, something we've fought hard to prevent. The first step in drilling is to sell them the leases, and that's what Obama is doing.

What he's doing runs contrary to explicit promises he made during the campaign. Is there anything he said during the campaign that he really believed in? Because he has just casually thrown most of his major promises to us overboard.

Can ANWAR be far behind?

My god, I thought we had debunked the drill baby drill horseshit here pretty soundly back during the election.

Or just cuts in Social Security and Medicare?

Too costly to drill and process the oil, but the oil companies wanted the drilling rights so they could state "we have X million acres/gallons of Oil reserves.

Egads! Someone's gotta stop Obama and SAVE Snooki!

Thank God you weren't...good riddance to Atlantic city and guidettes who are far scarier than guidos.

:rofl:

What a joke.

Vinoy Hotel..

When do we get to protest the Genius??????


Guess you missed years and years of democrats and environmentalists stopping these off shore drilling platforms..eh????????

Guess you missed the years and years and years of fighting Republicans on these off shore drilling platforms huh???

Even Mel Martinez was genius enough to not support them against all in his party..but you missed that didn't you??????

New to the environment and politics are you??????? Yeah I thought so..

Even Kerry fought against it when he ran in 2004..it was a big part of his platform when he came into Fla..but you knew that didn't you..or did you?????????

I didn't think so ..or you wouldn't be handing out "genius awards" to anyone who is shitting all over everything democrats have always stood for or against! for decades!

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

CNN
http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/03/31/obama.energy/index.html?eref=igoogle_cnn

(snip)
The GOP has long championed additional domestic drilling to lessen America's dependence on outside energy sources. And while the plan could help win Republican support for other White House initiatives, it won't find many fans among environmentalists.

*************

St. Petersburg Times

http://blogs.tampabay.com/buzz/2010/03/obama-ready-to-kick-start-gulf-oil-drilling.html

March 30, 2010
Obama ready to kick start Gulf oil drilling
WASHINGTON -- President Obama on Wednesday will announce a broad new push for domestic oil drilling that could include the eastern Gulf of Mexico.

Details obtained by the St. Petersburg Times and other news organizations indicate the Interior Department proposal could be the strongest push yet to open up drilling off Florida's coast. But steps would be taken to keep rigs far enough offshore (125 miles or more) and away from military areas.

The new zones would fall under a five-year plan that would require extensive study. But Obama is signaling to Congress that he is willing to move on the sensitive issue as a way of advancing a sprawling energy and climate bill, expected to include drilling, through the Senate.

Obama will announce the proposal along with Interior Secretary Ken Salazar at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, the theme being energy security. Florida once had a united political front against drilling but some lawmakers have moderated their views under a big push by the GOP.

The state also lost Sen. Mel Martinez, who stood in solid opposition with Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson. Gov. Charlie Crist replaced Martinez, who quit last summer, with George LeMieux, who has said he is open to drilling, if done safely.

Nelson recently met with Salazar on drilling but refused to discuss what was said.

************

The hard copy paper has a more extensive article. Do remember, 125 miles is not to "see" them, and 200 miles is to limit daily impact on the beaches from rigs. Where is the push for alternative energy????

Thank you Obama...so today while we protest Newt at the Vinoy Hotel St Petersburg Fla. on drilling...will there be signs for Obama too?

there is a huge democratic and environemtal protest of Newt Today at Vinoy Hotel in St Pete Fla..our local news just interviewed many of the people protesting..they are fucking livid with Obama!

And that is putting it mildly!

This is just another sell out of Democratic party principles and values..

I no longer have a party..I am disgusted beyond words.

Even Republican Senator Mel Martinez would not sell out our state and fought against this and the Bush brothers on off shore drilling..he stood with Bill Nelson against hsi party.

So now what???? our democratic President fucks us ..again?????????

One of the top environment group leaders was on TV extensively in an interview and said the following:


This is not for National Security.

This is not for an increase in supply.

This is not for Jobs.

This is for profit of Oil corporations..and that is all!


Thanks Obama for selling us out again.

I won't have left my party..my party became the republican party by the actions of a so called democratic president!

but I think you're right.

We've seen his skill at playing the political game for positive ends so I absolutely give you the :thumbsup:

there is always something going on that isn't apparent to those who would rather go off instead of finding out more information.

very impressive:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=433x256255#top

haven't read it yet. :)

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

much more productive than flamebaiting.

They just want Obama to hammer through a strong progressive agenda without regard for the politics, which is the art of compromise.

Bush hammered through his policies and look where that got him and his party.

All the Democrats have to do is move so far to The Right implementing Republican Policy that the Republicans have nothing left to run on !!!

Big WIN!
Which way to the "Mission Accomplished" parade?
:party:

http://www.virginia.sierraclub.org/StopLeaseSale.html

As I said, Obama is actually calling the Republicans' bluff and there is already a fairly big anti-Lease Sale 220 movement brewing (that I agree with) that will make the actual drilling never actually happen.

NASA, the Navy and the Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority are against Lease Sale 220.

http://www.bluecommonwealth.com/diary/141/accomack-county-board-of-supervisors-votes-in-opposition-to-offshore-drilling

...and when the healthcare bill was turned into a boon for the insurance companies and big pharma, and when he escalated the war. Freakin' brilliant stuff.

I'm for Single Payer (hybrid of Japanese/Canadian versions) but knew that any legislation right off the bat would have died in committee... it's just the political reality we live in. We will need to chisel away at it until we get the states to set up single payer systems. Thinking that we would somehow get rid of pharma and insurance control of the health care industry within a year is extremely, extremely hopeful to say the least.

As for the releasing of some permits to drill in the Gulf of Mexico and off the Virginia coast, it's making Republicans have to work with Obama on other environmental legislation that they can say they are against (and prove they have no solutions) or make them allow drilling (that will actually never happen due to NIMBY opposition) and also sign off on climate change/alternative energy legislation.

Legislation is a tedious, complicated process with many moving parts. The energy legislation coming up will be just as nasty as the health care legislation was.

He's selling out for ZIP once again.

fights and protest and votes of democrats!!

Some fucking genius!!

democrat..nooooo..but genius to turn our party into republican wannabes...yep!:sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm:

brilliant ..i didn't know it was so damn easy to turn democrats into republicans!! Or the democratic party into the republican party..what a morphing!! Brilliant!!



:sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm:

You completely missed the point and cutely cut and pasted stuff a 4-year old might have concocted.

Way to go!

and I have worked for over 3 decades in democratic politics..in 9 different states. And more campaigns than I can count.

I have written for numerous years a newspaper column in SW Florida as the Democratic prospective.

And I worked Rapid response for the National DC DNC for over 4 years.

and you??????

drilling will not increase supply.

Will not create jobs.

Is not for national security.

They said it is for profits for the oil companies ..only!

Some fucking genius move!

If you read my thread carefully, you would see actual proof that the oil/natural gas companies won't drill in new prospects... because they haven't done it with MILLIONS OF ACRES that they legally were allowed to do via permits.

It's embarrassing how some environmental groups are so goddamn knee-jerky. Maybe they need more money... as one who gives to the Sierra Club on occasion and actually worked for Greenpeace for a stint, I know how it works.

I have never run for office. I also apologize if I offended you.

But I would assume you are looking a little more than at the veneer of this political issue.

There is the Purist Approach, where you get nothing done legislatively but keep mono-issue-oriented people happy. So declare that offshore drilling should all be stopped by next Monday! Hell, twitter it! Facebook it! Blog it! Send out a YouTube video that you are so goddamn smart and people need to be aware of it pronto!

And get run over by a political train...

Or...

Triangulate the opposition with what is essentially going to be a Huge Hairball getting actually done by an industry that has proven they don't even drill on legal approved permits AND make the opposition have to come out in a critical election year saying they are not going to work toward what they have been yapping out of their cakeholes for the past six election cycles.

There's hitting the 10-foot pinata with a 10-foot bat in front of gleeful puristas and then there is the master who games the opposition in a game of chess.

Two things will happen.

First, the drilling will get tangled in a legal mess for years and will probably never actually happen, especially in Virginia where not only environmental groups but the Navy is against it. Have you ever been to Norfolk, Virginia? Ever seen the big beach resorts around the Chesapeake Bay and the Eastern Shore?

The rest of the governors along the Atlantic Coast have come out against any new offshore drilling.

Second, Obama can have on record that the Republicans are not willing to even "drill, baby, drill" with the recent press release by Boehner saying that it doesn't go far enough.

Again, it's a stroke of political genius.

the past week? :sarcasm:

created during the Obama administration.

Many of those leases and permits were issued during the Bush administration, at a time when Republicans pretty much controlled the federal government. They had the Executive branch (Presidency), Legislative branch (majorities in both houses of Congress), and the Judicial branch (a 5-4 majority on the US Supreme Court).

Yet, during that 2001 to 2006 period where Republicans were in total control, there wasn't a flurry of wells created off the Gulf coast or Florida and Georgia coastlines. Each of the Gulf states (Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama), and Florida and Georgia had a large state Republican structure, so the political opposition from the governors would have been little to none, right?

Yet, where was the massive offshore oil drilling that the oil companies and Republican politicians said would happen? It didn't. Even with all those leases and permits issued, and an extremely oil-favorable political structure.

It won't. Even after this legislation passes, it still won't. From 2001 to 2006, just a single offshore oil rig was installed, off the coast of Louisiana. One, in six years time. It was installed 300km (about 185 miles) from New Orleans and 320km (about 200 miles) from the Texas coast.

As stated in the OP, offshore oil drilling is good campaign rhetoric for the Conservatives, but none of them will ever have the balls to actually do it on a wide basis. They know full well they'd lose re-election if they actually went through with it and littered coastlines with oil wells.

Yes, take your Orwell off of the shelf, we are living in interesting times. :scared:

can be burnt on hypocrisy or nonsense positions when their entire existence is based on those things at this point.

At no point does it stick to the pukes when they randomly reverse themselves or move the goalposts. They edit/delete history every day and even on the rare occasions someone calls them on their bullshit it doesn't stick.

It would be genius but it doesn't work so it's just pandering that gives their bullshit frames legitimacy.

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

Ouch. :)

Oh, just an archive search. Carry on, nothing to see here!

and how some have sold all of us out..with their propaganda and bullshit hypocracy!

Alaska-Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Virginia -

ALL republican governors in ALL red states. It's NOT like they Obama is opening up drilling in sensitive areas like ANWR that we are talking about here, there's already drilling in the Gulf & the Atlantic coast and off Alaska.....these are red states, they want oil drilling, they obviously vote republican and they want drilling & the majority of republicans are voters who want it...

Personally, I certainly don't want to see more off-shore drilling opened up in my state, California, nor in any other environmentally sensitive areas like ANWR and I KNOW I won't under Obama...

The drilling is off-shore of all red states, consensus is there's not much oil they haven't already found and already have been drilling for. "Drill Baby Drill" is republican politics because they want to drill everywhere even in most sensitive of areas.

How many Democratic Governors are in the those oil drilling states in question? - Alaska - Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Virginia - ALL republican governors in ALL red states.

I believe it's political and Obama knows exactly what he's doing.

Obama's is pretty much shoving the off-shore oil drilling right down the republicans loud demanding throats off-shore in mostly republicans states, also Alaska another red state will see some drilling - but there are no plans to drill in The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) and it will NOT be touched!

There's not much oil in most of these places. so let the republicans and oil companies bitch...when they say there's no oil in these southern states....and when they want to open other more sensitive areas (and they will)... Obama can easily then say NO.

Of course republicans will always say "that's not enough, "we want more areas opened up".

Fuck that, Obama is NOT going to open up sensitive areas for drilling we gave you huge sections...We gave you republicans areas you wanted..."There's very little oil in those areas", too bad. Now shut the fuck up!

In republican red state areas, with all republican governors...who cares, let them eat shit, they are drilling all over those areas right now anyway, what's a few more?

And it WILL create JOBS!! (And who knows it even increase more domestic energy for our need, as well as create more tax revenue for some much needed social needs).

“President Obama once again today reaffirmed his commitment to passing comprehensive energy and climate legislation. Controlled drilling in the purposed southern states areas will also help get the 60 votes necessary votes to pass energy and climate legislation.

I can see what Obama is doing very clearly...it is indeed a smart & necessary political move.

The shoreline may be destroyed, but the Dems get to keep their jobs:eyes:

...oh, wait....

They'll have to vote against if anything goes to a vote - those no votes then used against them if they bring it up later.

Thom Hartmann was talking about this earlier. Sounds like he's backed them into a corner again.

count on that..between his people fucking the teachers unions..and then this..he just fucked himself.

Even Mel Martinez wouldn't go where Obama just went! No democrat would in Florida..just try winni g without Florida..how has it worked so far?????????

The oil industry is waiting for oil prices to rise to an extent where it becomes profitable to drill for oil offshore. Simply put, even with the most wildly optimistic projects of the amount of oil that is off the east or west coasts, it simply isn't enough to be economical to drill at this time. This also means there isn't enough oil there to make one bit of difference in oil prices either in the United States or worldwide.

right off the beach outside of Rush's Palm Beach mansion-now that would be cool

Cross Post..LBN..

<snip>

"SALT LAKE CITY � The Obama administration will limit the use of an administrative shortcut that has been used to approve thousands of drilling permits across the Rocky Mountains without full environmental reviews.

The policy change was reflected in the settlement late Tuesday of a lawsuit filed in Utah by environmental groups that challenged the Bush administration's interpretation of the Energy Policy Act of 2005.

The act allows federal land managers to fast-track drilling permits without ordering an environmental assessment of the consequences.

The U.S. attorney's office in Salt Lake City confirmed Wednesday that the settlement will all but close the loophole used to approve thousands of oil and gas wells from 2006 to 2008."

<MORE>
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/31/rocky-mountain-drilling-l_n_520579.html
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4327950

Great News!

in the near future, and they think this will have some prophylactic effects for them politically when the inevitable howling takes place.

I trust Obama.

message in November. It is really smart. That's one more issue gone so they'll have to campaign on repealling the HCR law.

ignorance at it's worst! Arrogant ignorance!

big oil.

let him try winning without Florida democrats, Teachers and environmentalists, progressives and liberals, and our seniors!

...and the drilling never happened...

...so how is this a big give-away for an industry that would not want to flood the market and lose profits?

Tell me why the oil/natural gas industry would suddenly change when they had the opportunity for decades to drill.

Unrec.

Everything Obama DOES is genius!

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

Is there any coastline that doesn't have some kind of oil lease?

That's screwed up.

That's the whole point of all this.

The oil and natural gas interests don't want to drill in over 6 million acres of lots and leased permits that have been available for decades because:

- Flooding the market with oil and natural gas makes for less profit margins
- Competing with other countries selling oil and gas to India and China makes for less profit margins
- Fighting states in courts for years with coastal governors against offshore drilling (as most are) makes for less profit margins

satisfying than logic, don't you know?

They'll vote no and just say it doesn't go far enough and cry about big government.

No matter how many of their positions are adopted they will either radicalize them or drop them for some other nonsense. Baker and Dole could have written the Insurance profit protection act but if a Democrat throws out the same garbage they are Chairman Mao.

Don't be foolish. 45% of the population and 99% of the media will buy whatever they are selling from jump street.

Imagine the ads in the fall where a Democrat can run against the Republican who is all "Drill Baby Drill" except NOW WHEN IT COUNTS.

I do political ads for a living. This is fucking shoot in the barrel light lifting.

Let's see the Republicans coming out against Obama's offshore drilling go-ahead (with the ingenius subtext)...

Check Goddamn Mate.

:puke:

Please do. Let's see how politically PURE you are...

:hi:

I think we should focus exclusively on non-carbon energy sources, there is no need to keep encouraging our oil addiction.