Obama Blocks U.S. Companies From Drilling Off Coasts; Cuba Will Proceed With Its Drilling Plans Nearby

From Gateway Pundit and Right Network:

Obama Blocks US Companies From Drilling Off Coasts – Cuba Will Proceed With Drilling Plans


Posted by Jim Hoft on Wednesday, December 1, 2010, 11:35 AM

When Obama talks about “Job Creation” don’t believe it.



For decades, democrats have blocked one effort after another to responsibly develop the energy resources our country possesses, transforming vast areas of opportunity into “The No Zone.”



Because of current U.S. policy, U.S. companies are prohibited from developing oil fields that lie in Cuban waters and come within 50 miles of Florida. However, Cuba is exploring and potentially developing these oil fields, estimated by the U.S. Geological Survey to possess more oil than the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge, and Cuba is partnering with China and other countries, such as Spain, France, and Canada.



The Castro Regime will begin drilling off the coast of Florida next year and will go deeper than the Deepwater Horizon rig that exploded in the Gulf of Mexico in April.



But, US companies are not so fortunate.

The Obama Administration today issue a massive new ban on offshore oil drilling in the eastern Gulf of Mexico or off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts.

The Washington Post reported, via FOX Nation:



Obama administration officials will announce Wednesday afternoon they will not allow offshore oil drilling in the eastern Gulf of Mexico or off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts as part of the next five-year drilling plan, according to sources briefed on the plan, reversing two key policy changes President Obama announced in late March.



During that announcement–less than a month before the BP oil spill–Obama and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said they would open up the eastern Gulf and parts of the Atlantic, including off the coast of Virginia, to offshore oil and gas exploration.



The announcement is sure to please environmentalists while angering oil and gas companies as well as some lawmakers from both parties who have pressed for continued offshore energy exploration in the wake of massive Gulf of Mexico spill.



According to multiple individuals briefed on the plan, the Obama administration will proceed with scoping for possible drilling in the central and western Gulf of Mexico and in the Arctic as part of the upcoming 2012-2017 Outer Continental Shelf program, while keeping the other areas off limits.



The administration is likely to conduct a new environmental assessment of Shell’s plan to conduct drilling in the Arctic, the sources added.



More… Since the deepwater drilling ban was lifted in October the Obama Administration has also refused to issue many permits in the Gulf.


And, from The American Thinker:

December 01, 2010


Obama's Offshore Drilling Ban Flip-Flop

Thomas Lifson

The Obama administration is reversing its March decision to open up the eastern Gulf and certain Atlantic and Pacific offshore areas to oil drilling. This means, of course, fewer jobs and more reliance on foreign oil.





This is good news for Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, and the Chinese oil company currently drilling in the eastern Gulf. But bad news for Americans.



Ed Lasky adds:





Do you think that the drilling ban lifting in October may have been designed to help Democrats on Election Day? Do you think the fact that the Dems got wiped out in the southern rim played into the decision to re-impose the ban-especially because some of the few remaining southern Democrats are becoming Republicans?





And what evidence does Obama have now that he did not have a few weeks ago that justifies the re-imposition of the ban?



Update from Ed Lasky:







Meanwhile, the carbon and reality hating administration is gearing up to speed the permitting of wind farms...that are woefully inefficient but beloved by the green schemers who rely on government mandates and subsidies to reap their wind-falls.





U.S. speeds wind farm permits





The Interior Dept. is speeding up the permitting process for wind farms that require leases from the federal gov't, a move meant to cut three or more years from the waiting time to get approval for offshore projects. Federal permitting for a wind farm near Cape Cod, Mass., took almost 10 years, but the gov't hopes to OK permits elsewhere for new projects by late 2011 or early 2012. The gov't will also map coastal areas to identify promising areas for future wind farms.













Posted at 12:02 PM