Oh yes, it most certainly looks like re-election time!
It’s to the president’s best interests, and the country as a whole to open up areas for more drilling.
But just how much will Obama have to turn himself into a pretzel to appease his environmental base?
This will be very interesting to see because these enviro-nuts won’t be the least bit happy amd most likely will feel betrayed.
Politico reports President Barack Obama is looking to bolster U.S. oil drilling, announcing Saturday a preemptive strike against bolder efforts from Capitol Hill as consumer unrest deepens over the price at the pump.
The White House will move forward without congressional action on a set of ideas espoused by Republicans and oil-state Democrats to expand oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, Alaska and potentially parts of the Atlantic seaboard.
It’s the closest Obama has come to rivaling his short-lived pro-drilling stance that ended with the BP oil spill.
At the same time, Obama is also firing up the liberal Democratic base by urging Congress to repeal billions of dollars in oil-industry tax incentives and to raise fees against companies that do not act quickly on drilling leases they own.
“Without a doubt, one of the biggest burdens over the last few months has been the price of gasoline,” Obama said in his fourth weekly address in a row and fifth in seven weeks to touch on energy issues.
Gas prices are now averaging more than $4 a gallon in many areas ahead of the start of the summer driving season, when prices usually peak.
The situation is precarious for Obama, who must balance the need to work with a starkly divided Congress against his own effort to win a second term.
“These spikes in gas prices are often temporary, and while there are no quick fixes to the problem, there are a few steps we should take that make good sense,” Obama said.
Attorney General Eric Holder is leading a task force investigating possible fraud, manipulation and illegal activity by traders and speculators that might be leading to the spike in prices.
But drilling is where the political problems lie for the White House. Republicans and oil-state Democrats have continued to criticize Obama and the Interior Department for what they say is a dramatic slowdown in new permits off and on shore.
“[W]e should increase safe and responsible oil production here at home,” Obama said. “Last year, America’s oil production reached its highest level since 2003. But I believe that we should expand oil production in America — even as we increase safety and environmental standards.”
Obama is now looking to give a blanket extension to all oil and gas leases in the Gulf of Mexico due to the disruption caused by last year’s Gulf spill and subsequent administration ban and slow-down of drilling permits. By doing so, Obama is at least touching on an idea advocated by Republicans as part of a three-part offshore drilling package the House approved this month.
More details here
The devil will be in the details to see if this is merely a cosmetic proposal for Obama’s re-election bid. But, if he really means increasing domestic production, then this is good news for America.
Memeorandum
