Obama to allow oil drilling off Virginia coast and Gulf

[hyakku]

I'm new to this site, but the partisanship here is so ridiculous I couldn't help but start posting.

As for these offshore sites, most of these won't be used, it's just a savvy political move by Obama. How can I assure this? Well, I'll quote a friend of mine so that I won't have to go into a lengthy diatribe. I think he sums it up pretty succinctly:

OR, it could be a ploy to call the oil companies and the GOP's bluff...


The oil companies won't drill these leases because it is not economical to drill them.

They already have thousand of leases in the gulf and they don't drill them because of economics.

If you factor in all the costs of finding, drilling and pumping off-shore oil, it is more than $85 a barrel

The current spot oil price is $82 a barrel. Who wants to lose $3 for every barrel you pump?

The cost of finding, drilling and pump oil in Saudi Arabia is $2.50 a barrel.

The oil companies just want the leases because they represent assets on their balance sheet, even if they are never drilled. That makes their stock prices higher

These leases are far off shore.

50 miles off the Virgina coast.

125 miles off the Florida coast.

If you look on Google earth you will see they deep water leases, in places where the ocean floor is any where from 300 feet to more than 2,000 feet deep. These kinds of leases are very expensive to explore, drill and produce. The costs are way beyond $85 per barrel.

Right now, the oil companies have 4,764 leases in the western gulf of Mexico that are undrilled. A thousand leases expire each year without ever being drilled.

Given the costs, most of these leases will never be drilled.

This legislations goal is not to increase domestic production, but to provide leverage when it comes to alternative energy bills and possibly a future C&T bill.

By pointing your fingers at the left and "na-na booing" them for Obama reneging on his promise, you encourage GOP support of this bill and subsequently pave the way for more leftist initiatives in the future. Lol.

 

[LibocalypseNow]

He did promise Florida that he would never allow drilling off their coast. What happened? Pretty sad stuff.

 

[uscitizen]

The oil companies who lease the land will put any found oil on the Open Market, which means we will have to compete for it. Prices will not go down.

If you increase the supply, the price drops, numbskull. That's Economics 101.

History has proven that economics 101 does not fully apply to oil.

compare the supply/demand and price curves if you do not believe me.

 

[US Army Retired]

Libs are mad as hell.

Obama Offshore Oil Plan a Disaster for Wildlife and Climate
Obama Offshore Oil Plan a Disaster for Wildlife and Climate

Quote:
“Today’s announcement is unfortunately all too typical of what we have seen so far from President Obama – promises of change, a year of ‘deliberation,’ and ultimately, adoption of flawed and outdated Bush policies as his own,” said Brendan Cummings, senior counsel at the Center for Biological Diversity. “Rather than bring about the change we need, this plan will further our national addiction to oil and contribute to global warming, while at the same time directly despoiling the habitat of polar bears, endangered whales, and other imperiled wildlife.”

Quote:
“Short of sending Sarah Palin back to Alaska to personally club polar bear cubs to death, the Obama administration could not have come up with a more efficient extinction plan for the polar bear,” added Cummings.



Chairman BHO screws over his environmental followers and still we get Palin derangement syndrome (PDS) from them.

 

[kwc57]

The oil companies who lease the land will put any found oil on the Open Market, which means we will have to compete for it. Prices will not go down.

If you increase the supply, the price drops, numbskull. That's Economics 101.

Typically, yes. Oil is different. Any increase in production by America (the oil goes on the global market and won't stay local) would be met by a decrease by OPEC nations, thus keeping the supply level and prices unchanged. Drill here, drill now, pay less is a bumper sticker slogan used by talk radio to pump up the true believers during election cycles and little more.

 

[uscitizen]

I say save our oil until the middle east starts running out.

 

[boedicca]

I say save our oil until the middle east starts running out.

I'd rather that we use our own oil so that we stop sending money to people who wish to kill us - and have the profits available to energy companies to develop commercially viable alternatives.

 

[uscitizen]

I say save our oil until the middle east starts running out.

I'd rather that we use our own oil so that we stop sending money to people who wish to kill us - and have the profits available to energy companies to develop commercially viable alternatives.

We must reduce our consumption of oil at some point so why not now?
Promote alternatives and conservation.

few realize the part high oil/energy prices played in the buildup to the great recession.

 

[boedicca]

We must reduce our consumption of oil at some point so why not now?
Promote alternatives and conservation.

The question is one of methods and at what cost.

We have $Ts of infrastructure devoted to a petrol-based energy economy. Profiting from our own oil now will ease a smoother transition with much less economic shock.

 

[xotoxi]

It's amusing to see so many on the right who in fact support this try to put negative spin on it.

They have to put a negative spin on everything.

But so does the left.

The left and the right are just a bunch of stupid fucking morons that just bitch to hear the sound of their voices.

 

[uscitizen]

We must reduce our consumption of oil at some point so why not now?
Promote alternatives and conservation.

The question is one of methods and at what cost.

We have $Ts of infrastructure devoted to a petrol-based energy economy. Profiting from our own oil now will ease a smoother transition with much less economic shock.

I am glad to hear you are looking forward to $4/gal gas again.
the shock will be less the sooner we get off the oil teat.

 

[LibocalypseNow]

It's all just a shell game anyway. He's throwing a small bone out to those who want to drill so he can come back later and try to force his coming massive Global Warming Boondoggle on the nation. It's all just a game people. I wouldn't take the bait on this one. You'll get yanked into the boat for sure if you do.

 

[ScreamingEagle]

Obama is nothing more than a political animal who will do anything to move his real agenda....

...the politics of this move is easy: with one fell swoop, Obama deprives Republicans of the major talking point they'd use to object to more expansive government-based climate remediation and energy prospecting policy.
...
By announcing this BEFORE the Senate moves forward with its climate change legislation, which may or may not include cap-and-trade (probably not), the White House is betting that they'll force Republicans into a corner before the public debate begins, they'll give some cover to moderate Democratic members of Congress (who love it when Obama picks a fight with his own base), and they'll get some public cred with Americans who want to see the president moving quickly to find opportunities to create jobs. This isn't about votes in Congress per se, it's about perception, cover and framing the debate. It's also a move that tries to get ahead of rising gas prices.

Drill, Obama, Drill - Politics - The Atlantic

 

[US Army Retired]

It's all just a shell game anyway. He's throwing a small bone out to those who want to drill so he can come back later and try to force his coming massive Global Warming Boondoggle on the nation. It's all just a game people. I wouldn't take the bait on this one. You'll get yanked into the boat for sure if you do.

What I like is he is once again showing that Palin is right and he wants to steal her thunder by doing this. Opening drilling off of Virginia will not make a pin prick on the market. He needs to open it up everywhere offshore and onshore in the states. Again Palin was right. He is following her lead and is making her more Presidential every day.

 

[LibocalypseNow]

He's actually adopting John McCain's "All of the above" philosophy. He has also recently changed his tune on Nuclear Power too. Remember,this was the same philosophy that this President and all Democrats viciously condemned during the campaign. Him and the Dems viciously condemned all kinds of things back when they didn't have the power. Now they're adopting all of the same exact policies they used to b*tch about daily. This is just one of many examples of their blatant dishonesty & hypocrisy. The list is getting pretty long. In the end it is a another Democrat dirty trick though. They will begin pushing their massive Global Warming Boondoggle very soon. Be very careful jumping on this bait.

 

[hyakku]

Obama is nothing more than a political animal who will do anything to move his real agenda....

...the politics of this move is easy: with one fell swoop, Obama deprives Republicans of the major talking point they'd use to object to more expansive government-based climate remediation and energy prospecting policy.
...
By announcing this BEFORE the Senate moves forward with its climate change legislation, which may or may not include cap-and-trade (probably not), the White House is betting that they'll force Republicans into a corner before the public debate begins, they'll give some cover to moderate Democratic members of Congress (who love it when Obama picks a fight with his own base), and they'll get some public cred with Americans who want to see the president moving quickly to find opportunities to create jobs. This isn't about votes in Congress per se, it's about perception, cover and framing the debate. It's also a move that tries to get ahead of rising gas prices.

Indeed, that's the true goal of this legislation. As I demonstrated before, most of these sites wouldn't be used.

@US army retired, it doesn't matter if we opened up all the coasts of America to drilling, they would just lease them without developing. there are over 3k+ leases out right now on offshore, domestic drilling sites that are used just as assets, not to actually be drilled upon.

I was worried about O's first year in office, I was worried he might be naive enough to think that American politics is prepared for rational, open ended debate. It's good to see that he's coming to grips with reality and wisely outmaneuvering his opponents.

What's funny is that as this day has passed I've slowly seen right wing news sources deriding him for reneging on his campaign promises and upsetting the left, but this won't cause him to LOSE right wing support. If anything they will remain ambivalent, and those in the left that do care would either never vote for the right, or are too lazy/unconcerned to vote anyway.

This is an extremely savvy move, one that i've been advocating since the realization that oil is a looming hazard for America's future and a rapid move to domestically produced and sustained energy.

 

[sitarro]

We must reduce our consumption of oil at some point so why not now?
Promote alternatives and conservation.

The question is one of methods and at what cost.

We have $Ts of infrastructure devoted to a petrol-based energy economy. Profiting from our own oil now will ease a smoother transition with much less economic shock.

I am glad to hear you are looking forward to $4/gal gas again.
the shock will be less the sooner we get off the oil teat.

Do you drive a hybrid or an electric car?

 

[rdean]

CANCUN, Mexico (AP) -- The head of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries said Tuesday that current international oil prices hovering around $80 a barrel are good for the world economy and oil-producing countries.

"In OPEC, we don't want a low price because (a) low price would not permit us to invest, so if we don't invest, we cannot have more oil," El Badri said. "And we don't want a very high price -- that will affect the demand."

OPEC Says Current Oil Prices 'Fair'

So once again, I ask those on the right, "What makes you think offshore oil will cause prices to drop?"

Come on now, make it good.

 

[kwc57]

CANCUN, Mexico (AP) -- The head of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries said Tuesday that current international oil prices hovering around $80 a barrel are good for the world economy and oil-producing countries.

"In OPEC, we don't want a low price because (a) low price would not permit us to invest, so if we don't invest, we cannot have more oil," El Badri said. "And we don't want a very high price -- that will affect the demand."

OPEC Says Current Oil Prices 'Fair'

So once again, I ask those on the right, "What makes you think offshore oil will cause prices to drop?"

Come on now, make it good.

Because they think that the global oil companies are somehow going to segregate the US oil and ship it, store it, refine it and sell it only inside the US for US national interests rather than for their global business interests.

As I said earlier, drill here, drill now, pay less is a bumper sticker slogan used by talk radio to pump up the true believers during election cycles and little more.

I'm conservative, but I'm a realistic conservative.

 

[hyakku]

Because they think that the global oil companies are somehow going to segregate the US oil and ship it, store it, refine it and sell it only inside the US for US national interests rather than for their global business interests.

As I said earlier, drill here, drill now, pay less is a bumper sticker slogan used by talk radio to pump up the true believers during election cycles and little more.

I'm conservative, but I'm a realistic conservative.

Precisely. I'm glad to see there are some legitimate, conservative realists out there standing up for logic and debate. Too bad these members don't comprise both of our respective political parties, there would be far more legitimate deliberation and vetting of legislation.

It's high time to realize that in this increasingly globalized world, MNCs and TNCs have their own global agenda in the anarchic free market that isn't always innately linked to the agendas of their domestic landlords.