Obama to Announce offshore drilling

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(Reuters) - The Obama administration is expected to announce by Wednesday its updated plan for oil and natural gas drilling in U.S. waters, including whether to allow exploration for the first time along the U.S. East Coast.

Before Obama was elected, this was hotly debated in these forums. Seems most of you were against any drilling, as I recall.

So which of you Obama supporters are even more disappointed in Barry with this? Which of you have changed your mind and think it's a good idea?

My feelings are that I am for just about anything that gets us off foreign energy dependence.

Energy Independence > Green energy research
 
[quote name='IRHari']energy independence = green energy research[/QUOTE]

energy independence = green energy research + X + Y + Z
 
REMEMBER KIDS!!! If we allow offshore drilling, they'll immediately start drilling there!!! It worked everywhere else!
 
[quote name='IRHari']energy independence = green energy research[/QUOTE]

Long term, yes. My equation was my opinion on priority for short term goals.
 
[quote name='xycury']less foreign oil, and more local jobs... what's there to lose?[/QUOTE]

Oil is a finite resource. "Green" energy can create jobs.

The next step in our civilization's evolution is to advance without fossil fuels.
 
[quote name='fatherofcaitlyn']Oil is a finite resource. "Green" energy can create jobs.

The next step in our civilization's evolution is to advance without fossil fuels.[/QUOTE]

True, but that's still not a loss--which was his question.

As this shouldn't in any way slow efforts for alternative energy since it's just giving more leases in new areas to private companies so it shouldn't pull in federal funding that could go to alternative energy research and development etc.

The loss would be pollution, unsightly oil rigs off the coast etc. I can live with that as we need to cut dependence on foreign oil in the short term. Though I'm skeptical that off shore drilling will do much for that any time soon.
 
Wouldn't they need to build new oil rigs for this? That seems like it would take a longass time and be ungodly expensive. Do they have any better ways of extracting it?

It seems like the "green" shit could be less expensive and take less time to build.
 
[quote name='SpazX']Wouldn't they need to build new oil rigs for this? That seems like it would take a longass time and be ungodly expensive. Do they have any better ways of extracting it?

It seems like the "green" shit could be less expensive and take less time to build.[/QUOTE]

To the first I'd assume they can explore for oil with out full rigs, and companies would move some rigs from less profitable sites if they find a big deposit, so they may not have to build rigs if they can just move them around. But who knows.

To the second I agree, and that's my skepticism from above. But it's private oil company money, so they can knock themselves out.
 
If the environmental concerns are legitimate then I wouldn't write it off just to private money that quickly though.

Also, from the CIA factbook, we import ~13.5 million barrels of oil a day, but we export ~1.5 million barrels of oil a day as well. What's up with that? Do we have an oil swap going on in there somewhere or are we just straight up making ourselves more dependent on imports?
 
Our technology can't even access some of the other spots that oil resides. This is very short term but besides the occasional spill, there isn't any downside.

I would say whatever profits from this, could/should go straight to alternate fuels.

I don't think we have a thread on Nuclear Reactors yet...

Future wise, I think Iter might be the key... http://www.iter.org/default.aspx

But I think the US should explore wave power, plenty of sea out there not being traversed. This could benifit mainly the coastal states but seeing California as a big win there. Looking at HI and AL too.

We have vast amounts of land out west, mainly desert, so any advance in solar technology could be used there... at least before the US population swallows it up.

[quote name='SpazX']If the environmental concerns are legitimate then I wouldn't write it off just to private money that quickly though.

Also, from the CIA factbook, we import ~13.5 million barrels of oil a day, but we export ~1.5 million barrels of oil a day as well. What's up with that? Do we have an oil swap going on in there somewhere or are we just straight up making ourselves more dependent on imports?[/QUOTE]

These are private companies, so they could be getting more exporting it than selling it at home. Maybe a push for "Made in the USA... Stays in the USA"? But that would be the government stepping into the free markets.
 
I'm in favor of the drilling, but what we'll get is a drop in the bucket of what we need.

I opposed the McCain/Palin call of "Drill, Baby, Drill!" because it was naive to claim that as the only solution to our long term energy problems.
 
[quote name='xycury']These are private companies, so they could be getting more exporting it than selling it at home. Maybe a push for "Made in the USA... Stays in the USA"? But that would be the government stepping into the free markets.[/QUOTE]

Well that's part of what I'm getting at.

We produce ~8.5 million barrels of oil a day and export ~1.5 million of them. So we're selling ~17% of our oil now rather than using it. And it looks like we import about 6 million barrels a day from OPEC specifically, so we could cut that down 25% just by using our own.

So I don't exactly get it. It seems like it's more for profit and a little foreign dependence cut on the side.
 
Oil is a dead end. Continuing to travel down an oil dependent path will only cause more problems. So, it is a waste of time. There is your loss.

As far as private oil company money, how many private banks are playing with public money?
 
Werid thing, did you know you can withdraw your money from the bank?

At least, you could, until the last two presidents gave them large sums of taxpayer money. :(
 
[quote name='Quillion']I opposed the McCain/Palin call of "Drill, Baby, Drill!" because it was naive to claim that as the only solution to our long term energy problems.[/QUOTE]

mm-hmm.
 
[quote name='xycury']less foreign oil, and more local jobs... what's there to lose?[/QUOTE]

Just because we allow drilling, or give leases to areas for drilling, does not mean there will be ANY drilling there at all. Oil companies have leases for national parks that they aren't utilizing because it would cost money to start and it would cause oil prices to drop due to increased supply. It also doesn't mean that any oil that comes out will be sold in the United States. So it's essentially a bunch of bullshit.

FoC's completely right.
 
The oil companies already have tens of millions of acres worth of leases where they are not drilling. They can however still count it as an asset on the books. If they are going to actually drill this time, then I guess thats not so bad. Not particularly good in that it changes nothing, but not terrible.
 
Though from a purely political standpoint, this might be good. It makes the opposition look bad if they are against what is essentially their idea - similar to the health care bill, which was almost entirely ideas which Republicans have pushed for DECADES, from Nixon to Romney.
 
[quote name='fatherofcaitlyn']Oil is a dead end. Continuing to travel down an oil dependent path will only cause more problems. So, it is a waste of time. There is your loss.

As far as private oil company money, how many private banks are playing with public money?[/QUOTE]

Oil should be dead, and I'd like nothing else but to move away from it.

Though where does it start, and by whom? Oil companies go for profit, and consumers aren't going to sway away from oil, it's cheap, or at least the cheapest sorce.

Seems like government may need to demand it.

[quote name='evanft']Just because we allow drilling, or give leases to areas for drilling, does not mean there will be ANY drilling there at all. Oil companies have leases for national parks that they aren't utilizing because it would cost money to start and it would cause oil prices to drop due to increased supply. It also doesn't mean that any oil that comes out will be sold in the United States. So it's essentially a bunch of bullshit.

FoC's completely right.[/QUOTE]

Oh I agree that they will just sit there doing nothing with it.

Maybe why we haven't had any oil refining technology boost... no one wants to spend the money to make more surplus. Perfectly economical profitable sense.
 
Lindsay Graham unequivocally supported this, saying if you're a Republican you should support this, and you should be happy Obama is endorsing nuclear power.

It's kinda funny, after the election, the new Lindsay Graham is the old John McCain.
 
[quote name='speedracer']Pair it with cap and trade and you've got a deal.[/QUOTE]

No deal. Cutting off your nose to spite your face is not good public policy.
 
[quote name='elprincipe']No deal. Cutting off your nose to spite your face is not good public policy.[/QUOTE]

The face of compromise, ladies and gentlemen!
 
Did I read through this thread too fast or did someone actually say a massive tax increase for everyone was a good idea?

Oh, nevermind, it was just cap and trade... carry on.
 
[quote name='thrustbucket']Did I read through this thread too fast or did someone actually say a massive tax increase for everyone was a good idea?

Oh, nevermind, it was just cap and trade... carry on.[/QUOTE]
My bad. The libertarian in me came out for a second. I prefer the status quo of externalizing and socializing the costs. Being forced to cost account for my activities is clearly not in my interests as a socialist.

Thanks for catching that comrade.
 
I actually don't think this is too bad. It's going to happen eventually, might as well have a reasonable leader set the ground rules. Besides here in VA politics has seemed to go red state, might as well give the people what they're asking for.

Frankly when it comes to the environment future generations are just going to have to fend for themselves - I don't like that and I'll fight against that but going up against big corpos and general ignorance is like trying to empty the ocean with a spoon.
 
[quote name='mykevermin']The face of compromise, ladies and gentlemen![/QUOTE]

A slight positive paired with a devastating negative is hardly a fair compromise.
 
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