Is anyone surprised at this? I am not. This is all about continuing to bring the Republicans into the fold, to work with them, etc. And it may work, because John McCain tweeted, "Drill Baby Drill, where is Pelosi and Reid on this?"
I hope President Obama gets Republican support, he wants it badly, but after the health care debacle which the Republicans were allowed last summer to destroy what the bill would do for the individual American, does anyone expect them to show good faith on ANYTHING going forward? I don't. And Obama, again, giving the Republicans their largest bone, "OFF SHORE DRILLING". Just as he gave them good cuts in the health insurance bill, but he still did not get ONE VOTE. just sayin'.....
President Obama will announce new plans to drill for oil and natural gas off America's coasts Wednesday but will rule out drilling off California, Oregon and Washington state through 2017, administration officials say.
Obama's plans will include opening new areas of coastal Virginia and other parts of the mid-Atlantic region, Alaska and the eastern Gulf of Mexico for drilling. But officials say the president will block drilling in Alaska's Bristol Bay, where the George W. Bush administration's drilling plans in 2007 angered environmentalists.
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.
The announcement, scheduled for an energy security event at Joint Base Andrews Naval Air Facility, will be Obama's first major policy step into the politically charged area of offshore drilling.
The president's drilling plans run through 2017. The likely scope and details of the proposals represent compromises that risk angering energy companies and environmentalists alike. read more here....
Also, read a comprehensive diary on this with pictures of the possible drilling sites, here.
Oh, and don't forget what candidate Obama said about drilling for oil and how it would not help anyone. Yes, such a long time ago.
and the President's announcement today on the off shore drilling expansion, a decision he has not taken lightly....
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