Civil libertarians have long complained that, as soon as he got into office, President Barack Obama appeared to morph into former President George Bush on everything from surveillance policies to blocking investigations of torture. Now, environmentalists may join that chorus of criticism with Obama wanting to lift a 20-year ban on drilling off the Virginia coastline — as well as to open large areas of the Gulf of Mexico.
Obama insists that the answer is “drill, baby, drill” — to paraphrase the GOP — and that such development is needed “[t]o set America on a path to energy independence, the president believes we must leverage our diverse domestic resources by pursuing a comprehensive energy strategy.”
He also wants the Interior Department to survey other areas along the Eastern shore for drilling and exploration. These are sensitive areas already dealing with threats caused by pollution.
This was one of the issues that environmentalists pressed Obama on when he was running for president, here. At the time, in relation to the same question regarding Florida’s coast, he said “when I’m president, I intend to keep in place the moratorium here in Florida and around the country that prevents oil companies from drilling off Florida’s coasts. That’s how we can protect our coastline and still make the investments that will reduce our dependence on foreign oil and bring down gas prices for good.”
For the full story, click here.
“Methinks the President just out-smarted the GOP yet again. There will be drilling, but it’ll be done under stringent guidelines set up by the Obama Dept of the Interior, not the oil companies. There will be none in CA and only on off the coast of Alaska, not the preserve. This will be one art of a comprehensive energy plan that will include more green energy devlopment. Either the GOP will have to oppose drilling in order to oppose the rest of the package or they’ll be forced to be bi-partisan. Either way Obama wins.”
If this be true, HE IS Usul, Muad’Dib!!!!!
LEO
Note the date of the article below. It’s from an NBC fact-checking piece was just after the final Obama-McCain debate.
Fact-checking offshore oil drilling
Posted: Wednesday, October 15, 2008 9:22 PM by Mark Murray
From NBC’s Mark Murray
McCain just said that Obama is opposed to off-shore drilling. That’s only partially true. Obama had opposed it, but later said he’d support it as part of a bigger compromise.
From the the Palm Beach Post this past August: “U.S. Sen. Barack Obama said today he would be willing to open Florida’s coast for more oil drilling if it meant winning approval for broad energy changes. ‘My interest is in making sure we’ve got the kind of comprehensive energy policy that can bring down gas prices,’ Obama said in an interview with The Palm Beach Post. ‘If, in order to get that passed, we have to compromise in terms of a careful, well thought-out drilling strategy that was carefully circumscribed to avoid significant environmental damage – I don’t want to be so rigid that we can’t get something done,’ Obama said.”
Obama’s lies never end. During his campaign, he strongly criticized McCain and GW Bush regarding offshore drilling. One of the reasons I voted for him was his pledge against such drilling for oil.
On drilling, even Palin has the right to call Obama a bald-faced liar–and without dispute.
Methinks the President just out-smarted the GOP yet again. There will be drilling, but it’ll be done under stringent guidelines set up by the Obama Dept of the Interior, not the oil companies. There will be none in CA and only on off the coast of Alaska, not the preserve. This will be one art of a comprehensive energy plan that will include more green energy devlopment. Either the GOP will have to oppose drilling in order to oppose the rest of the package or they’ll be forced to be bi-partisan. Either way Obama wins.
Dredd:
It is not environmentally unfriendly. Nothing is 100% environmentally friendly. Dont you think there is pollution during the production of solar panels and wind turbines? What about the fish kills with hydro-electric power?
People need to live, we are part of the environment and our survivability depends on our ability to manipulate our environment to our benefit.
Byron,
“offshore drilling, it is not environmentally unfriendly”
That is like saying murder is ok because it is not the gun that kills, it is the murderer.
Placing the “oil” into the atmosphere and everywhere else is what is environmentally unfriendly.
Obama’s speech, given at a military base like Bush II always did, sounds of ultimate ignorance “it will help the planet” to become more green.
The ignorance comes from his religious background that denies humanity can destroy the environment to the point of human extinction.
We have entered the Criminally Insane Epoch:
http://ecocosmology.blogspot.com/2010/03/criminally-insane-epoc-arises.html
Bdaman:
if it is too late then it ought to be “drill baby drill” 🙂
P.S. It’s too late to save the planet. F it, were all gonna die.
Lovelock: ‘We can’t save the planet’
Professor James Lovelock, the scientist who developed Gaia theory, has said it is too late to try and save the planet.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_8594000/8594561.stm
Byron just look at what offshore drilling has done in the GOMEX. When the big boats head out, thats the first place they head to, the oil rigs. TUNA, chicken of the sea. Now if Utah can get there land back and they start drillin there, we just might be heading towards energy independence.
They realize that green technology is not so green, that coupled with the fact they are now forecasting 30 years of global cooling. So much for the more co2 that is released the hotter it will get.
This is also a compromise to get votes on whatever climate bill that they are going to come up with. Unfortunately for the administration there is no compromise from the republicans which is why Boner is already saying it does not go far enough.
ye hah, I finally agree whole heartedly with the president. A big tip of the Oil Soaked Stetson to the President. What a piece of good news to start the day with.
This will create good, well paying jobs and ancillary jobs to support the rigs. And as someone who has done offshore drilling, it is not environmentally unfriendly. In fact in the 2 years that I spent in Alaska there were no problems and the amount of oil that leaked overboard was less than from a small power boat. Marine mammals were also not disturbed by the presence of a rig, seals, walrus and killer whales would come by on a regular basis to investigate. Seals would come right up to the rig, the walrus and killer whales would come within a hundred yards or so.
This is great news for Virginia. Maybe the President is getting a clue and starting to understand that if you are going to redistribute wealth you better have something to redistribute.
Did somebody say beer? Set em up….
mespo,
You say that like it is not currently underway. If they can drain a swamp and built a city with such fine people as DC then what next? I think I have heard a song with these words, paved paradise and put up a parking lot….
Another giant beer-fest.
From: ALL PART OF THE PLAN
Obama preempts the other side’s most resonant arguments, which forces them to come up with more and more extreme claims in order to differentiate themselves. In the end, he occupies the reasonable middle ground and his opponents are Palinized.
!!!damn!!!
I’m ready for Ralph Nader now…
If the oil companies got their way, we would drain the Chesapeake Bay, and pave it over.
I didn’t like the idea when GWB proposed off-shore drilling and I don’t like it nor approve of it now.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.
It does not matter who you are. Maybe he ate too much paint containing lead as a kid…….
Fascism has its benefits.
For example, Exxon gets whatever the hell they want regardless of which “party” is in charge, the wisdom of their desires for profit above all other consideration or standing legal prohibition.