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The Obama administration has shelved a plan by the Bush Administration to open U.S. coastal waters to oil and gas drilling. The proposal, put forth on the last business day of the Bush Administration, had been vehemently opposed by environmental groups.
Speaking Tuesday, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar called the decision to expand offshore drilling “a headlong rush of the worst kind.”
“There was almost no consideration of state, industry, or community input,” he continued. “It was a process rigged to force hurried decisions based on bad information. It was a process tilted toward the usual energy players while renewable energy companies and the interests of American consumers and taxpayers were overlooked.”
 No drilling here – for now. |
The Department of Interior will now conduct a 180-day review of the country’s offshore oil and gas resources, leaving the door open for possible offshore oil exploration. The agency will hold four public meetings over the next few months – in Alaska and on the West, East, and Gulf Coasts – to hear from state and local officials, industry, and environmental groups on the proposal.