White House: Bush to lift offshore drilling ban

White House: Bush to lift offshore drilling ban

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Breaking News...
WASHINGTON - White House: President Bush to lift executive ban on offshore drilling.

More details to follow ...

(visit the link for the full news article)

President Bush will hold a press conference at 1:30 EST to announce this.

Good news!

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(visit the link for the full news article)

[edit on 14-7-2008 by jsobecky]

That's a bit of good news. It really doesn't change anything since Congress must still act before drilling can commence, but its a symbolic move that he should've made a long time ago.

Of course, this is not an answer to the current energy woes, but it should have several positive effects:

1. It may signal a change in attitude in US policy toward oil exploration

2. It might be the beginning of the formulation of a cohesive energy policy

3. It may serve to stabilize oil prices by showing that the US is doing something

Good news indeed.


Ill take the under on that crazy notion that it will take 10 years to get oil.

Perhaps this will spur Congress to be more in tune with what nearly 70% of United States citizens feel should occur. This is particularly true in my home state as both Senators and the Governor oppose this measure while the majority of residents approve of the plan.

Hopefully this will cause speculation on oil to drop as well.

[edit on 14-7-2008 by AugustusMasonicus]

THANK GOD! Finally some common sense!

I'm sure Obama will get elected. I wonder if this common sense drill-here measure will hold together with 'no drill' Obama and his democratic congress minions agreeing with him on everything?

reply to post by TKainZero


Even if it takes 10 years, does it matter? In 10 years, I would imagine that the world oil supply situation will be even worse. There's no time like the present, although in this case, the present should have been about a decade ago. We'd be in a lot better shape today.

[edit on 14-7-2008 by vor78]

I agree that exploiting our own oil reserves makes sense. I will be keenly interested in the relationship between the US oil produced and it's disposition.

Right now oil is financially piggybacked by an undisclosed (at least to me) third party, siphoning off profit. Will the practice continue? Will we stop selling our oil abroad and use it ourselves at a reduced cost? Or will this be engineered into another wealth vacuum against the American interests and to the detriment of the US dollar (whatever THAT really is)?

I don’t see this as good news if it ruins the Florida coast line the way it has the gulfs coast line. Florida’s water is beautiful and blue. The gulf's the nastiest, ugliest, brown you will ever see. Warnings signs up not to swim or fish from bacteria levels. Which were like this was before the hurricanes.

The gulf is ruin because of off shore drilling. Fish constantly die and wash up to shore. Its really nasty.


I would hope that flordia will not let this happen. If they do no more beautiful ocean to swim in there. No more fish without warning signs saying do not fish.

It's not as grand news as one may think.

What is wrong with Alaska’s drilling or places so cold people never really visits.



[edit on 14-7-2008 by Shar]

I never expected anything less from a politician from Texas. Haha, not to mention one who's election into office was questionable.
Conflict of interest comes to mind, but eh, waddya gonna do? That is the real issue.

How many people want dependence on foreign oil? I can honestly say I don't know that many.
The president has his own agenda and anyone who thinks different needs to come out of their cave and go into the light.
"Divide and conquer" still rings true today as it did 500 or so years ago.

[edit on 7/14/2008 by liamoohay]

reply to post by liamoohay


I'll ask this again......
pump all you want, where do you want to refine it?
We are currently importing 15% refined gas becasue of maxed
out refineries......02c


[edit on 14-7-2008 by Pinktip]

reply to post by Pinktip


That's obviously an issue that needs to be addressed as well. Oil production and refining capacity will both need to be increased in order to alleviate the problems we're facing.

Still, I'll take any step in the right direction at this point and this is a start.

Since the oil companies have not built a new refinery since the 1970s, what do the neo cons plan to do with all the oil they want pumped off shore? I understand that the refineries that we already have are not working at full capacity, but once they are, how will pumping more crude oil help the current situation?

From 1975 to 2000, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) received only one permit request for a new refinery. And in March, EPA approved Arizona Clean Fuels’ application for an air permit for a proposed refinery in Arizona. In addition, oil companies are regularly applying for – and receiving – permits to modify and expand their existing refineries.[1]

Myths and Facts about Oil Refineries in the United States

That is, unless the oil companies are actually planning on selling the oil they pump to countries with the capacity to refine it.

I don't see how resuming off shore drilling at this time will have any short term effect on the current price issues. Way before increasing production of crude oil in the United States, we need to increase refining capabilities.

In many ways the current price speculation plays hand in hand with our refining capabilities. After the price increases since Hurricane Katrina, when refineries had to shutter to weather the storms, we have not seen a major decline in prices once they reopened.

I don't see how oil drilling in ANWR will have any effect on the price of gasoline unless more refineries are in place to convert the crude oil to gasoline. In 1970 there were 203,302,031 people in the United States. In 2000, 281,421,906 with generally the same amount of refining capabilities. Estimates have the United States over 300 millions citizens now.

The record oil profits by the oil companies have not been reinvested into the refining infrastructure to any degree. Sure they 'fixed' things, but 1 new refinery in 35 years is not going to cut it.

Sorry Mr. President, but your offshore drilling plan is completely flawed....
DocMoreau

I have posted it in several places, but it will take at LEAST 7 years before that oil is in anyone's gas tank. I can find my post with reasoning if you want. The US will be living on foreign oil and foreign produced petroleum for a long time to come.

reply to post by Pinktip

I am not pro offshore drilling if that is the context of your response.
A solution, albeit the tip of the iceberg, without typing droves of words I will touch on a subject of the use of refined gas in a more economical way.

Strictly from the use of oil; in relation to the auto, there is a carburetor that has been suppressed. It is called the "Pogue" style of carburetor that vaporizes gas rather than turning it into droplets resulting in many more mpg's than the conventional type- upwards of 200mpg in some cases

I just see our current fuel situation needing to take baby steps and ween off our reliance as it stands now.

Originally posted by Rook1545
I have posted it in several places, but it will take at LEAST 7 years before that oil is in anyone's gas tank. I can find my post with reasoning if you want. The US will be living on foreign oil and foreign produced petroleum for a long time to come.

Thats what they said about drilling ANWAR when it was first proposed. If we had only just moved the Fing Moose herd, we would have some of that oil by now!!

Originally posted by Rook1545
I have posted it in several places, but it will take at LEAST 7 years before that oil is in anyone's gas tank. I can find my post with reasoning if you want. The US will be living on foreign oil and foreign produced petroleum for a long time to come.

If we had ignored the naysayers who said the same thing TEN years ago, then we wouldn't be in the situation we're in now.

Ya mixed review on this one for me. I agree with the OP that this could be a step towards redefining US energy policies and toward stabilizing prices. However at what cost?

I am for alternative energy sources and investing in shifting away from being so dependent on oil by implementing other forms of transit (trains etc) but we are still going to need oil for several years before such alternatives can support the USA. That leaves us in a place of needing energy in the here and now.

I am all for the exploration and production of oil here in the USA but I am also hesitant. I think there needs to be some serious consideration to the cost/benefit of the exploration we undertake that include the externalities that are typically left out.

Like I already said what we need is energy NOW not several years down the road but it is good to plan ahead. I guess I am worried we will do something we regret out of panic in the moment. I am unsure as to why we need offshore drilling when we have so much onshore drilling that can be done.

Leading me to another issue I worry about and that is the US government (elected officials) giving away the riches of this nation (oil) to their constituencies (big business) at a fairly small cost that will make record profits for the businesses who took control of 'we the peoples' resource wealth with out compensating us fairly and in fact sticking us with all sorts of costs (externalities: p9oluution destroyed, ecosystems, etc...).

I think we can all agree that the Bush administration is more interested in serving big business rather than the people. For what reason should we trust that his work to secure more lands for the oil companies is for us and not for them?

So yes, I think we are being played and that this offshore drilling is another giveaway. I still see the need to produce energy nationally. I do not know wat the right answer is.

Originally posted by Shar
I don’t see this as good news if it ruins the Florida coast line the way it has the gulfs coast line. Florida’s water is beautiful and blue. The gulf's the nastiest, ugliest, brown you will ever see. Warnings signs up not to swim or fish from bacteria levels. Which were like this was before the hurricanes.
[edit on 14-7-2008 by Shar]

You got any proof that the gulf coast's shore lines are like this because of drilling? Or maybe they are just naturally this way?