Obama Cancels Offshore Oil Lease Sales in the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico

[babylonsister]

http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2010/07/27-12

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 27, 2010
3:17 PM

CONTACT: Center for Biological Diversity
Miyoko Sakashita, [phone], [email protected]

Obama Cancels Offshore Oil Lease Sales in the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico
Feds Acknowledge Greater Environmental Protection Needed for Drilling


SAN FRANCISCO - July 27 - The Center for Biological Diversity praised the Obama administration's announcement today that it is cancelling two offshore oil and gas lease sales: one in the Atlantic off the coast of Virginia and another in the Gulf of Mexico. The Atlantic lease sale was part of a controversial area that Interior Secretary Ken Salazar approved for expanded offshore oil development after the Bush administration lifted the moratorium on drilling in the Atlantic. The Gulf of Mexico lease sale was scheduled to take place in mid-August.

"Obama's decision to cancel these lease sales recognizes that risky offshore drilling needs reform," said Miyoko Sakashita, oceans director at the Center. "Halting controversial lease sales is among the most proactive steps that Obama has taken toward the Gulf disaster."

The Federal Register notices to be published tomorrow cancel Lease Sale 220 in the Atlantic and Lease Sale 215 in the western part of the Gulf of Mexico. The notices say cancelling these lease sales "will allow time to develop and implement measures to improve the safety of oil and gas development in Federal waters, provide greater environmental protection, and substantially reduce the risk of catastrophic events."

"Rather than sound science and common sense, federal approval of offshore drilling has relied upon Big Oil promises, " said Sakashita. "This commitment to revisit oil spill risks, safety and environmental protections is long overdue."

Just weeks before the Deepwater Horizon explosion, the Department of the Interior proposed expanding offshore oil development into new areas of the Atlantic, Arctic and eastern Gulf of Mexico.

"In light of the BP oil spill, President Obama should pull back from the entire plan to expand offshore drilling and instead pursue clean energy," added Sakashita.
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[calimary]

1. Hey, some good news on this front.

It saddens me that I'm pleasantly surprised when the Obama admin does something like this. My initial expectation was that somehow, in some way, they were just gonna cave AGAIN. Gee, I guess safety concerns actually count for something?

[monmouth]

3. The recent despicable actions of BP (dispersant use, no hazmat

wear for sickened workers, etc.) may have been the last straw plus the obscene golden parachute of Hayward. Good on POTUS..

[DevonRex]

2. Excellent news. Thanks. K&R nt

[quiet.american]

4. K&R. Glad to hear it. nt

[femrap]

21. It's the

fucking least he can do.

[NC_Nurse]

5. Excellent. Now prepare for the whining from Jindal and Barbour about the

Oil money their states will lose - and the jobs...I have sympathy for those who will lose work. Maybe they should start some clean energy projects down there.

I'm not holding my breath that they'll let go of oil money anytime soon though.

[Phx_Dem]

6. Now that there's a second, separate oil leak in the Gulf, maybe Louisianans

will get their heads out of the asses. If that's the only think you can do for a living, move somewhere else and drill on land, or find a new line of work. Sorry whiners, but your job is not worth our oceans.

Oil "geyser" in the gulf:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/27/louisiana-oil-geyser-20fo_n_660874.html

[AtomicKitten]

7. Hell to the yes!!!

K&R

:hi:

[MH1]

8. Good.

[rhett o rick]

9. Good news, but what about the fund that BP was going to set up to pay for clean up?

BP hasnt put any money in. Does the Pres care?

[Hekate]

10. Thank you, Mr. President.

[Tarheel_Dem]

11. Cue the "job killing" meme from the right, and the "doesn't go far enough" meme...

from the further reaches of the left. :eyes: This is good news.

[flamingdem]

12. BUSH + Co. would never do this of course, viva la diference! nt

[bigwillq]

13. K and R (nt)

[DCBob]

14. RW media will pounce on this claiming it will kill jobs, ruin families, destroy communities...

and do nothing to improve the enivironment.... and the ignorant masses will likely believe it.

[eleny]

15. Such good news!

[pleah]

16. K&R Good! n/t

[Hydra]

17. I hope this is a shift away from Oil

But time will tell.

Meanwhile, this is a good start.

[anachro1]

18. Oh, PLEASE

After five minutes of criticism, Obama will change his position on this.

[Paper Roses]

19. Hallelujah n/t

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

20. Yes! nt

[TBF]

22. Kick - good news!

[jefferson_dem]

23. But I was just reading in the other thread that Obama really sucks really bad.

:shrug:

[garthranzz]

24. Oh, great, just what I need as Saints preseason is about to start

Another excuse for Jindal to chew scenery and spit tar balls and for local talk Rushabees to cry with alligator tears.

:sarcasm:

Seriously, THANK YOU, PRESIDENT OBAMA FROM A NEW ORLEANIAN AND PROUD WHODAT!!

[Radical Activist]

25. Drill baby Drill!!!

So the people who previously jumped to conclusions by blaming Obama for decisions made by Minerals Management Service bureaucrats were, once again, wrong.