Obama Shelves Bush-Era Offshore Drilling Plan

In yet another victory for environmentalists since Obama took office January 20th, the new president’s administration has put Bush-era offshore drilling plans on hold. The Bush administration had authorized the Interior Department to open areas of both U.S. coasts to oil and gas drilling after a moratorium on drilling there expired last year.

From MSNBC:

“To establish an orderly process that allows us to make wise decisions based on sound information, we need to set aside” the plan “and create our own timeline,” Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced in a statement.

Alleging that the Bush administration “had torpedoed” offshore renewable energy in favor of oil and natural gas, Salazar said he was extending the public comment period by 6 months.

“We need a new, comprehensive energy plan that takes us to the new energy frontier and secures our energy independence,” he added. “We must embrace President Obama’s vision of energy independence for the sake of our national security, our economic security, and our environmental security.”

Republicans are calling for Obama not to close off areas of the Atlantic and Pacific coastlines for drilling, saying the 5-year offshore drilling plan put forth by the Bush administration four days before leaving office is “vital to our economy”. The plan would have authorized 31 energy exploration lease sales between 2010 and 2015.

He hasn’t yet been in office for a month and already Obama has reversed several key anti-environment moves by Bush, including canceling oil leases in Utah and striking down Bush administration attempts to ease laws governing mercury emitted from smokestacks. It would almost feel like we’re waking up from a long nightmare, if only the negative effects of Bush’s presidency weren’t still so fresh and painful.

Link [MSNBC]
Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

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