Earlier this week—after the Wall Street Journal exposed the fact that no offshore drilling permits have been issued since
the moratorium was lifted in October–the Obama Administration announced that previously halted deep water drilling activity can resume.
The Administration’s announcement is emblematic of everything that is wrong with its approach to oil and gas exploration offshore—and its habit of responding to issues only once they’ve penetrated the news cycle. The only thing that the policy really ensures is the possibility that previous drilling activity can resume at some point in the future if certain requirements are met. But no one knows for sure what those requirements might be. And Alaska, which may be America’s “energy ace-in-the-hole,” is still off limits.
For instance, we know that all new applicants will have to run the obstacle course of a new regulatory regime. This new regime will be characterized by a lack of deadlines for agency action (because the Administration removed them), by many new opportunities for litigation, and by additional complexity driven by increased requirements imposed by the Administration. If they were drilling for mud they’ve had success, because this new process is as clear as mud. And when government requirements are unclear, uncertain or made by fiat, America suffers while the lawyers get rich litigating and other countries get richer by selling us oil we could be producing.
It is unclear whether the 13 companies affected by the policy will have to meet zero, some, or all of the requirements of the new regulatory regime. That lack of clarity has been the hallmark of the Department of Interior’s approach to offshore energy production.
What is clear is that time and time again, President Obama and his team have made it explicit that their goal is to increase prices at the pump by making it as difficult and expensive as possible to produce energy in the United States.
Already American families and businesses are hurting from the Administration’s ‘no drilling’ energy policies that effectively embargo U.S. oil supplies. Gas prices continue to climb and U.S. oil production continues to fall, courtesy of the Obama Administration. Additionally, lost government revenues from the Administration’s reluctance to issue to new permits for offshore energy production can be counted in the billions of dollars. If another nation choked off our oil supplies it would properly be considered an act of war. This administration has done that nonstop.
The Obama Administration can prove it is serious about resuming drilling in the Gulf by issuing permits and allowing people in the Gulf region and Alaska to return to work instead of vague policy announcements that achieve little else but provide cover in a critical news cycle.
