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Yesterday, President Barack Obama made a bold move by announcing that he will allow oil speculation off the coast of the United States. This came as a huge shock considering how much opposition his administration has been getting from the Republican party. Many are saying that this move, although out of character for an environmentally aware President, has been done strategically to pave the way for other legislation he is trying to push through.
Obama’s plan involves drilling off the coast from Delaware all the way down to Florida and Alabama. So far, restrictions say that no new drilling will be allowed within 50 miles off the coast of Virginia and 125 miles off the coasts of Florida and Alabama. The drilling leases for the coastal states between Delaware and Georgia will commence next year. The West coast has been made off-limits with the exception of Alaska, where they’ll be studying the environmental impact of such an operation.
On a political note, it’s said that Obama has done this to force climate change back onto the agenda. Many of his supporters believe that this concession to Big Oil must be made, so that the bigger pictured may be realized. Experts, who have analyzed the areas off the coast, say that the largest reserve being sold would only contain about four years worth of oil. Now we go back to the question, why did he allow this?
The President’s reasons for allowing this were clear at Andrews Air Force Base. At a podium in Maryland, his explanation was, “given our energy needs, in order to sustain economic growth, produce jobs and keep our businesses competitive, we’re going to need to harness traditional sources of fuel.” Activists against this move are saying that there is no guarantee that this will bolster the economy, however it is guaranteed to ruin the environment.
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