President Obama in a press annoucement scheduled for 12:45 today is expected to announce that “a moratorium on new deepwater oil drilling permits will be continued for six months while a presidential commission investigates”.
“Controversial lease sales off the coast of Alaska will be delayed pending the results of the commission’s investigation, and lease sales planned in the Western Gulf and off the coast of Virginia will be canceled, a White House aide said. (Source)
Virginia should never have been enrolled in the early Bush-era drilling program in the first place. It constituted reckless policy considering the huge flaws and gaps in environmental analysis. Virginia’s treasured coastal environment fell otherwise victim to Big Oil’s rushed land grab agenda.
As sickening as the Gulf Coast disaster is, it has at least shed light on how Big Oil’s cozy relationship with MMS has rendered current drilling programs corrupted and now basically void. Firing MMS director Liz Birmbaum is a good first step. (Source)
Add in DoD’s recent report indicating Virginia Lease Sale 220 drill to be “unacceptable” for its military activities, Governor McDonnell’s drilling house of cards has now completely collapsed. He must cease and desist from drilling and dedicate himself full-time to offshore wind development.
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