Obama’s New Energy Plan, Same as the Old Plan
Dear American Energy Supporter,
If you’ve read the newspaper or watched the news this week, you probably saw journalists cheerily report that President Obama’s new energy plan will allow increased offshore energy exploration and increase our domestic supply. Unfortunately, those reporters fell for a cruel and early April Fool’s Day joke.
Obama’s image-makers were in full effect yesterday, touting a major shift in policy that would open new areas on the Atlantic Coast for offshore drilling. Yesterday’s announcement, they claimed, is a “way forward” and a “great first step.” And, largely, the media fell for it.
But, in reality, outside the Obama spin world, the President’s announced policy shouldn’t even be called an “energy plan.” It will not increase U.S. energy supplies; it will reduce them. Obama did not open up new areas for drilling in the OCS; he closed them. He didn’t make new supplies of energy available; he embargoed them from use by American citizens. He didn’t take steps to lessen dependence on foreign oil; he increased our dependence.
The fact is the areas President Obama supposedly opened yesterday were already open for drilling, following a national outcry in the summer of 2008 when the price of gasoline topped $4.00 a gallon. President Bush and the Democratic Congress acted then to drop the decades-long embargo on U.S. oil and gas supplies, leaving only a small area in the eastern Gulf of Mexico off-limits for energy production. Today, the only thing standing in the way of more domestic energy production in U.S. waters are the policies of Obama’s own Secretary of Interior, Ken Salazar.
Obama’s new plan for drilling offshore in America is a lot like his old plan: Don’t do it. Or, Drill, Baby, Drill—except in areas where you might find some oil. His image team went overboard to sell it as offshore drilling, which probably means he has seen the polls that show two-thirds of Americans support more offshore drilling.
Mr. President, we won’t get fooled again.
Thanks again for your continued awareness, support and activism
