CEA: BOEMRE Deepwater Drilling Permit A Good First Step, But Not Enough
Alliance Continues to Urge Administration to Speed Up Approval Process as Gas Pump Prices Skyrocket
WASHINGTON – Following the announcement that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation
and Enforcement (BOEMRE) approved the first deepwater drilling permit in the Gulf of Mexico since the Deepwater Horizon explosion and resulting oil spill, representatives from
Consumer Energy Alliance released the following statements:
From CEA President David Holt:
“With estimates suggesting that total U.S. oil production will decline by 13 percent in 2011, in large part owing to the “permit freeze” in the Gulf of Mexico, this slowed production and the nation’s corresponding energy price spikes could not come at a worse moment for the economy and American consumers as we begin to move towards an economic recovery. Through today’s action, American consumers can only hope that the Obama Administration will take the necessary steps to unlock access to the nation’s homegrown, domestic energy sources and allow for the safe exploration of America’s offshore areas for the sake of our national security and independence from foreign energy sources. The smarter we are about the regulation of our homegrown resources, the easier it will be to depend more on America’s abundant resources and less on the Middle East.”
From CEA Chairman of the Board and vice president & regulatory affairs counsel for the American Trucking Associations Rich Moskowitz:
“BOEMRE’s actions today are a step in the right direction; however, one deepwater permit will not address the high gasoline and diesel prices consumers are now facing. We remain concerned over our nation’s growing dependence on foreign sources of oil. With increased turmoil sweeping across the Middle East it is clear that Americans need more affordable and accessible domestic energy supplies to power our trucks, our cars, our homes and our national economy. We hope that this deepwater permit approval marks the first step towards the Administration embracing a path forward on OCS exploration and production in the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska.”
