The extraordinary hype surrounding the alleged extent of the damage done to the Gulf of Mexico by the BP (NYSE:BP) oil spill has been found to be over-exaggerated, as has been the response of the Obama administration to the tragedy.
As Fox Business points out, it would be a huge mistake to continue on with the response of Obama to not allow drilling in the eastern portion of the Gulf or along the Atlantic coast until 2017.
The relatively low impact of the Gulf oil spill embarrassed radical scientists who were making doomsday predictions almost from day one, while attacking reports on the damage that weren't lining up with their wild projections.
What the Obama administration and the Interior Department are attempting to foolishly do is create a scenario of perfection which simply can't be attained.
If you get human beings and technology together, you can limit damage and improve practices and safety, but no one can achieve perfection.
To throw that on the drilling sector is part of the radical goal of extremist environmentalists who want to eliminate the use of oil altogether, among other elements of their anti-human agenda.
The bottom line is oil and energy companies need to do the absolute best to ensure safety, but even in the best of conditions there is always the human factor to take into account, and nothing in the world can make people into error-free workers.
Even with the photos of fowl with oil from the oil spill is nothing compared to the absolute destruction bats and birds receive from the so-called "clean" energy of windmill forests. They kill in a very short time more birds and bats than all the loss of wildlife from the BP oil spill.
The American people will be those who suffer from this, as our reliance on foreign oil and energy increases so the political fallout from another possible accident isn't incurred.
Response to the oil disaster by Obama is a bigger blow than the oil spill itself, other than for those who worship the earth and other religious connotations related to their "mother."
Some predict gas prices could reach as high as $5 a gallon by 2012.
Showing posts with label Interior Department. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Interior Department. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
BP (NYSE:BP): Oil Moratorium Lifted by Obama
The decision to lift the controversial oil drilling moratorium in the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico as a result of the BP (NYSE:BP) oil spill, was for the most part irrelevant, and the time it was in place and the added regulations in essence effectively keep the ban in place even though it has been officially lifted.
This doesn't mean there won't be the resumption of drilling for oil in the deep waters of the Gulf, just that it'll take a long time to vet the process and jobs will continue to be scarce for some time in the region.
Shallow-water drilling is experiencing that very thing now, as the permitting process has slowed things way down from normal, and is being used as a tool in place of an actual moratorium, which would have generated even more of an outrage from the region.
We at Dripping Oil thought Obama was going to wait a little longer to lift the moratorium because of politics and the election, but this is still a political move in that it would have remained in place into November, but there still won't be much activity through that time, making it more symbolic than useful.
It'll take a long time to get things ramped up again and people back to work. And there's no guarantee oil companies will be able to quickly have everything in place to pass the new regulations, which the Interior Department promises will increase as time goes on.
This doesn't mean there won't be the resumption of drilling for oil in the deep waters of the Gulf, just that it'll take a long time to vet the process and jobs will continue to be scarce for some time in the region.
Shallow-water drilling is experiencing that very thing now, as the permitting process has slowed things way down from normal, and is being used as a tool in place of an actual moratorium, which would have generated even more of an outrage from the region.
We at Dripping Oil thought Obama was going to wait a little longer to lift the moratorium because of politics and the election, but this is still a political move in that it would have remained in place into November, but there still won't be much activity through that time, making it more symbolic than useful.
It'll take a long time to get things ramped up again and people back to work. And there's no guarantee oil companies will be able to quickly have everything in place to pass the new regulations, which the Interior Department promises will increase as time goes on.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Exxon (NYSE:XOM) Lobbying Spend Drops to $2.52 Million in 2 Quarter
Exxon Mobil Corp. (NYSE:XOM) revealed in a disclosure report that they've spent $2.52 million in the second quarter on lobbying the Federal government.
While targeting a number of related issues, offshore drilling in the face of the BP (NYSE:BP) oil spill was among the more important.
Last year in the second quarter Exxon spent $.427 million on lobbying the Feds, and $3.39 million in the first quarter of 2010.
For the second quarter Exxon lobbied the Interior Department, Executive Office of the President and Congress.
Other areas of interest being lobbied were continuing sanctions on Iran and clean energy legislation.
The report was filed on July 20 with the House of clerk's office.
While targeting a number of related issues, offshore drilling in the face of the BP (NYSE:BP) oil spill was among the more important.
Last year in the second quarter Exxon spent $.427 million on lobbying the Feds, and $3.39 million in the first quarter of 2010.
For the second quarter Exxon lobbied the Interior Department, Executive Office of the President and Congress.
Other areas of interest being lobbied were continuing sanctions on Iran and clean energy legislation.
The report was filed on July 20 with the House of clerk's office.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Fed Moratorium Study Blasted by Critics
The federal government released a so-called report Thursday saying the oil moratorium put in place in the Gulf of Mexico in response to the BP (NYSE:BP) oil spill isn't causing as much economic damage as originally thought.
The government says the moratorium has only caused the temporary loss of 8,000 to 12,000 jobs in the Gulf region, and about $1.8 billion less in spending.
Allegedly on 2,000 oil rig workers have been out of work during the six-month ban, and the other job losses from the Obama administration came from business serving the industry, such as suppliers.
Critics of the ban, which is just about everybody in the Gulf states, say the oil drilling ban has been devastating to the Gulf economy. They have estimated that as many as 50,000 workers would be affected by the ban.
The first estimate from the Interior Department was for 23,000 workers to be out of work from the moratorium.
I wonder if they're taking into account the four oil rigs already gone or leaving the area, with oil companies saying more will leave in the near future.
Those are thousands of jobs that will never return to the region.
The government says the moratorium has only caused the temporary loss of 8,000 to 12,000 jobs in the Gulf region, and about $1.8 billion less in spending.
Allegedly on 2,000 oil rig workers have been out of work during the six-month ban, and the other job losses from the Obama administration came from business serving the industry, such as suppliers.
Critics of the ban, which is just about everybody in the Gulf states, say the oil drilling ban has been devastating to the Gulf economy. They have estimated that as many as 50,000 workers would be affected by the ban.
The first estimate from the Interior Department was for 23,000 workers to be out of work from the moratorium.
I wonder if they're taking into account the four oil rigs already gone or leaving the area, with oil companies saying more will leave in the near future.
Those are thousands of jobs that will never return to the region.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Federal Investigation Hearing Today, Confronting BP (NYSE:BP) and Transocean (NYSE:RIG)
Today there is a Federal investigation hearing where Federal investigators will be questioning BP (NYSE:BP) executives and managers, as well as rig owner Transocean's (NYSE:RIG) Ltd. There is a panel set to hold the hearings, and each company will be explaining disabled safety systems as well as failures of the well design, causing the worst oil spill in U.S. history.
The combined Interior Department - U.S. Coast Guard investigation has already had three hearings. The prior hearings have taken place in Louisiana where a massive amount of testimony has already been heard. This time, the hearing moves to Houston, where there are several offices of companies involved with the disaster, including BP.
There is much significance to these hearings and the federal investigation. If criminal misconduct is found to have been a factor by any or all of the oil companies that played a part, the panel can turn over its findings to the U.S. Department of Justice. Who is currently doing their own criminal investigation.
It is possible that a fifth hearing will take place. If so, it won't be until several key pieces are recovered from the bottom of the Gulf, including the blowout preventer. The hearings are very similar to that of a trial. Exhibits are presented, witnesses testify under oath, and there is cross examinations. The finding will be reported in January.
The combined Interior Department - U.S. Coast Guard investigation has already had three hearings. The prior hearings have taken place in Louisiana where a massive amount of testimony has already been heard. This time, the hearing moves to Houston, where there are several offices of companies involved with the disaster, including BP.
There is much significance to these hearings and the federal investigation. If criminal misconduct is found to have been a factor by any or all of the oil companies that played a part, the panel can turn over its findings to the U.S. Department of Justice. Who is currently doing their own criminal investigation.
It is possible that a fifth hearing will take place. If so, it won't be until several key pieces are recovered from the bottom of the Gulf, including the blowout preventer. The hearings are very similar to that of a trial. Exhibits are presented, witnesses testify under oath, and there is cross examinations. The finding will be reported in January.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Judge Overturns Obama's Moratorium Due To BP (NYSE:BP)
In a surprising move, Martin Feldman, U.S. District Judge from New Orleans has blocked President Obama's six month moratorium, originating because of BP's (NYSE:BP) worst oil spill in U.S. history. The moratorium was at first going to just be for any new deepwater drilling and for only the month of May, but then it turned into a suspension of all Gulf coast drilling. Shutting down 33 of the Gulf's exploratory wells.
The complaint was submitted to the Judge by several businesses who provided many different services who are arguing the moratorium was arbitrarily imposed. In his ruling Feldman agreed, stating in his ruling that the Interior Department is assuming because one rig failed all rigs and companies involved with deepwater drilling are posing an imminent danger.
Feldman wrote, "an invalid agency decision to suspend drilling of wells in depths of over 500 feet simply cannot justify the immeasurable effect on the plaintiffs, the local economy, the Gulf region, and the critical present day aspect of the availability of domestic energy in this country."
The Interior Department's response to the lawsuit is simply, the moratorium is necessary while the continued attempts go on in the Gulf to stop the crude oil and cleanup the oil spill. "A second deepwater blowout could overwhelm the efforts to respond to the current disaster," said the Interior Department.
The White House said there will be an immediate appeal.
The complaint was submitted to the Judge by several businesses who provided many different services who are arguing the moratorium was arbitrarily imposed. In his ruling Feldman agreed, stating in his ruling that the Interior Department is assuming because one rig failed all rigs and companies involved with deepwater drilling are posing an imminent danger.
Feldman wrote, "an invalid agency decision to suspend drilling of wells in depths of over 500 feet simply cannot justify the immeasurable effect on the plaintiffs, the local economy, the Gulf region, and the critical present day aspect of the availability of domestic energy in this country."
The Interior Department's response to the lawsuit is simply, the moratorium is necessary while the continued attempts go on in the Gulf to stop the crude oil and cleanup the oil spill. "A second deepwater blowout could overwhelm the efforts to respond to the current disaster," said the Interior Department.
The White House said there will be an immediate appeal.
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