Wednesday, March 31, 2010

If The President's Serious About This, He And I Have Common Ground

While I like the president's stated desire for more (relatively) cheap, clean, non-greenhouse-emission nuclear energy, I've decided to hold off on presenting laurels until I see new plants built. I'll admit that I've been suspicious, as it would be entirely too easy to state such desires, and appeal to a certain segment of the population (like me), knowing full well that the environmental lobby and others would never all them to come to fruition.

The president, however, has seemingly gone out further on the domestically-produced energy limb, and in this I can support his stated goal:

The Obama administration is proposing to open vast expanses of water along the Atlantic coastline, the eastern Gulf of Mexico and the north coast of Alaska to oil and natural gas drilling, much of it for the first time, officials said Tuesday.

The proposal — a compromise that will please oil companies and domestic drilling advocates but anger some residents of affected states and many environmental organizations — would end a longstanding moratorium on oil exploration along the East Coast from the northern tip of Delaware to the central coast of Florida, covering 167 million acres of ocean. (But not off the coast of California. I wonder why?--Darren)...

The Obama administration’s plan adopts some drilling proposals floated by President George W. Bush near the end of his tenure, including opening much of the Atlantic and Arctic Coasts. Those proposals were challenged in court on environmental grounds and set aside by President Obama shortly after he took office.

The article states that he's doing this in order to bargain for support for his "climate bill", which I interpret to mean the cap-and-trade bill. I hope that part of the deal founders, but that we can finally access the resources we need that are contained within our grasp.

Update, 4/3/10: Perhaps I'm right to be suspicious:
When you’re an aspiring magician, you watch the best magicians you can find, trying to see how the trick is done. You learn not to watch what the magician wants, to look where the magician isn’t looking, to concentrate on the left hand if the trick seems to be happening in the right hand.

This skill is turning very useful watching the Obama administration. This week, for example, there was a big announcement of a change in the Obama administration’s policy toward oil drilling, dutifully announced as the administration opening up great areas offshore for oil development.

Watch the other hand.

6 comments:

socalmike said...

He wants to open up some areas, but keep others closed. Read Michelle Malkin for more details. It's not all that it seems. I was hopeful, too, until I read "the fine print".

Unknown said...

http://gatewaypundit.firstthings.com/2010/03/obamas-drilling-deception-dems-block-new-energy-production/

mmazenko said...

Obama is actually a rather pragmatic leader, Darren, and when you really think about what is promoting in all areas of government, you have a lot of common ground with him.

Darren said...

"Pragmatic"? He's only "pragmatic" if he can't get what he really wants, what he's told us for years he wants.

I agree with what he says about education, but he doesn't live up to what he says (note the DC voucher program).

I agree with the increase in troops in Afghanistan.

I agree with more drilling and with nuclear power, but he's changed position on these in the last 2 years and I'm not sure how much of this is talk and how much is serious business.

Where else might he and I agree?

MikeAT said...

Darren

You are more than justified in your lack of trust in the words of B Hussein Obama et al. On nuclear he has said he wants more plants…but he has stopped work on Yucca Mountain and his Department of Energy is making no effort to set up an alternate location (Source: Hebert, H. Josef. 2009. “Nuclear waste won't be going to Nevada's Yucca Mountain, Obama official says.” Chicago Tribune. March 6, 2009). Also BO won’t do anything to strip Green Peace, etc of legal standing to sue for every little ant on the grounds, slowing the process and driving the cost through the roof. I guess that’s being “pragmatic”.

On oil he’s only saying he wants more study of exploration. From that Friend of Rush Limbaugh rag the Los Angeles Times:

“According to administration officials, the plan would:

* Eventually open two-thirds of the eastern Gulf's oil and gas resources for drilling.

* Proceed with drilling off Virginia, provided the project clears environmental and military reviews.

* Study the viability of drilling off the mid- and southern Atlantic coasts.

* Study the viability of drilling in Alaska's Beaufort and Chukchi seas -- areas hotly defended by environmentalists -- but issue no new drilling leases in either sea before 2013.

The eastern Gulf of Mexico leases hinge on Congress lifting a moratorium on drilling there. Even if that happens, administration officials said, Obama's plan included no drilling within 125 miles of the Florida coastline.”
Source: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-obama-drilling31-2010mar31,0,4617559.story

Notice the words “Eventually”….”provided”….”study”. In other words, he is lying. I am just shocked that the LA Times actually printed something accurate.

Don’t get me started on him being “pragmatic” or even worse, a “leader”. Brings to mind the disgusting sight of the Kim’s in North Korea.

mmazenko said...

North Korea?

That might be the most ridiculous comment I have ever seen posted on this blog.

There's hyperbole and then there's just ... well, nevermind.