Obama Administration Approves Nearly 500 Offshore Oil Drilling Leases In Arctic Alaska - WSJ

[hatrack]

The Obama administration said Monday it was moving forward with oil-drilling leases off the coast of Alaska issued by the Bush administration in 2008, a victory for oil companies in the battle over Arctic Ocean drilling.

The Interior Department said it would uphold nearly 500 leases issued in the Chukchi Sea after several environmental groups challenged the sale of the leases in court.

The department's decision came in response to the lawsuit filed by environmental groups, and those groups still had the option of challenging the department's determination.

EDIT

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203791904576609401721404510.html

[aquart]

1. Buh-bye Alaskan fishing, wildlife....

Been fun.

[Mr Deltoid]

2. Ever heard of 'Global warming' mr Obama?

Or the environment?

[Name removed]

6. Deleted message

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[teddy51]

3. He's campaigning to the Right full speed now. Geez... were screwed. n/t

[truebrit71]

4. I wish I could say that I was surprised/disappointed but I have such outrage fatigue...

..about this administrations overall environmental and wildlife policies that I can barely muster a 'meh' anymore...

[DCKit]

5. While I'm on the side of the fishes, seals and polar bears....

If we don't do it, everyone else will.

The countries with a claim on the arctic have been jockeying for position for over a decade already.

It's an ugly reality.

[Nihil]

7. More "Change"? Less "Hope"?

Business as usual in yet another one-party nation ...

:thumbsdown:

[Yo_Mama]

8. I'm for it as long as oversight is strong

Other countries will be out there drilling if we don't, and unfortunately right now we need the oil desperately.

I wish we were further ahead with our energy transformation, but we're not, and energy balance (raising internal production) is one of the ways that we can finance the transition.

It sucks, but reality is reality and I can't see how we can continue on the path we are on. We'll run out of money before we ever resolve our energy problem on our current trajectory, and by the time they cut SS 10%, which is coming up, and cut federal retirement COLAs, which is coming up, all bets are off.

It takes a lot of money to build energy infrastructure, and the two great pressing needs of our country over the next 20 years are to fund internal energy stability and to rebuild our manufacturing base, which is completely dependent on relatively cheap energy.

Far too many people believe that we can have our cake and eat it too when it comes to energy - instead we are forced into a series of tradeoffs. We also need to build more hydropower projects.

I'm for solar, I'm for wind, I'm for nuclear power within reason, sited cautiously and with stringent federal controls. I'm for electric cars and hybrids, but we have to ensure that the trucks and the trains keep running. We grow our own food, which is a strength but which requires a lot of fossil fuel, and the bottom line is that we have to jack up our internal energy production at reasonable costs with as many environmental controls as possible to be able to afford the next generation of technology.

I've looked at India's situation, and it is a disaster. You have to keep the grid up and running, and you have to be able to fuel the transportation infrastructure.