Guest “Biden is the Quicker-Fracker-Upper” by David Middleton
June 30, 2022
Biden administration offshore drilling plan delayed
By Jarrett Renshaw and Nichola GroomJune 30 (Reuters) – The Biden administration on Thursday delayed the rollout of a proposed five-year offshore oil and gas development plan that had been promised by the end of the month, according to sources.
Interior Department Secretary Deb Haaland in May had vowed to unveil the draft proposal ahead of the June 30 expiration of the current plan. The department will not be able to hold any offshore oil and gas lease sales until a new plan is finalized.
Briefings with officials meant to take place Thursday ahead of a public announcement were unexpectedly delayed, according to sources. The reason and length of the delay were unclear.
Interior would not comment.
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Reuters
They have had 18 months to get this done. They don’t appear to even be making a serious effort to issue a new leasing plan, even though they are legally required to do so.
Why does this matter?
In the Gulf of Mexico, Biden Is Picking Politics Over Policy
By Erik Milito
June 29, 2022The Biden administration has cast a troubling cloud over the energy outlook for the Gulf of Mexico. New oil and gas lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico have been halted at a time when oil prices have soared by nearly 200 percent and Putin’s unprovoked invasion has unsettled global energy security. The deliberate delay and obstruction of U.S. energy development is needlessly harming everyday Americans and our allies.
While the White House seeks to blame energy producers for high energy prices, companies have not been able to secure new offshore oil and gas leases since November 2020. This year will be the first year without an offshore lease sale since 1965 – when Lyndon Johnson was president and Bonanza topped national TV ratings. Without new leasing, companies cannot replenish exploration portfolios, which is critical as most leases do not contain commercially viable amounts of oil or natural gas. The greater number of lease sales and the higher the amount of acreage, the greater the opportunity for U.S. oil and gas production. To put it another way, fewer oil and gas leases means less oil and gas production.
While the Gulf of Mexico sits locked away from leasing, President Biden is planning a trip to Saudi Arabia and the Kingdom’s oil production will certainly be on the agenda. The U.S. has eased sanctions with Venezuela and continues to try to salvage its nuclear deal with Iran.
Instead of working with foreign regimes to secure additional supplies, the President should promote investment and new opportunities for increased oil production in our own backyard.
In order for the government to be able to lease offshore acreage for oil and gas production, the government is required to have a leasing program in place. On June 30th, the current leasing program for offshore oil and gas leasing expires and there will not be a new one in place for some time.
Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland recently said the Proposed Program for the next leasing program will be out before June 30th.
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Prior to this point, every administration – whether they were Republican or Democrat – has fulfilled their legal obligation to maintain a leasing program and hold lease sales. Every prior administration has recognized the critical strategic advantages of an uninterrupted leasing program.
The delay in the leasing program could reduce American energy production by 500,000 barrels of oil per day – roughly what the U.S. was importing from Russia in 2020. Furthermore, 60,000 high paying and accessible jobs could disappear through substantial gap in the offshore leasing program.
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Erik Milito is the president of the National Ocean Industries Association.
Real Clear Energy
Technically, there was a lease sale in 1965; however no leases were nominated for bids. Prior to the first area-wide sale in 1983, oil companies had to nominate leases that they wanted to bid on. Since 1983 the bids have been confidential. The corrupt Obama judge Rudy Contreras effectively reinstated the nomination process when he unlawfully vacated Lease Sale 257.
Industry, states argue on appeal for oil and gas lease sale
June 23, 2022
Oil and gas companies and 15 states have made their arguments for an appeals court to overturn a federal court ruling so that an oil and gas lease sale for tracts in the US Gulf of Mexico can be completed.
Alan KovskiOil and gas companies and 15 states have made their arguments for an appeals court to overturn a federal court ruling so that an oil and gas lease sale for tracts in the US Gulf of Mexico can be completed.
The case, in the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, stems from a federal district court decision Jan. 27 that not only required more environmental analysis for lease sale 257 but vacated the sale, which was held in November (OGJ Online, Jan. 28, 2022).
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In its brief filed June 13 at the appeals court, the American Petroleum Institute (API) cited cases in which the appeals court ruled that no such “speculative” estimate was needed or of any use for a lease sale, and that even if the court insisted on such a calculation, it could be done on remand without vacating the sale.
“The district court upended longstanding precedent holding that the National Environmental Policy Act does not require such speculative assessments at the lease-sale stage,” API said. “It compounded this error by refusing to remand without vacatur.”
The trade group pointed out that Interior can make such calculations when companies submit an exploration plan and when they submit a development and production plan. And at any of those stages Interior can reject the plan or require changes to protect human health and the environment.
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Oil and Gas Journal
In the meantime, the Idiot-in-Chief actually paraphrased Brady Bunch middle-sister Jan in his latest pathetic excuse for his own frack ups…
Biden says he won’t ask Saudi leaders to increase oil production, blames ‘Russia, Russia, Russia’ for prices
Biden says he will not ask Saudi Arabia for increased oil production during his trip despite rising pricesBy Brooke Singman | Fox News
President Joe Biden on Thursday said that he will not request Saudi leaders to increase oil production during his trip to Saudi Arabia next month, stressing that is “not the purpose of the trip,” while blaming sky-high gas prices in the United States on “Russia, Russia, Russia.”
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Fox News
Russia, Russia, Russia!
via Watts Up With That?
July 1, 2022
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