"Lifting of the Moratorium on Offshore Drilling (2008)
Description
In July 2008, President George W. Bush lifted the Executive Order that had banned drilling in large areas of the Federal Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) since 1990 (see Moratorium on Offshore Drilling (1990)). A congressional ban on drilling in certain offshore areas also ended when Congress did not include the leasing prohibition in budget legislation beyond the fiscal year ending September 30, 2008. Earlier (January 2007), President Bush had modified the leasing status of two areas on the OCS, one in the North Aleutian Basin of Alaska and the other in the Central Gulf of Mexico, which made them eligible for inclusion in the Minerals Management Service's (MMS) following 5-year OCS oil and gas leasing program (2007-2012). A ban on drilling through 2022 on certain tracts near Florida in the Eastern and Central Gulf of Mexico remains in place under provisions of the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006."
eia.doe.gov
"The initial exploration plan for the project was submitted by BP to Minerals Management Services (MMS) in March 2009. The plan included drilling and temporary abandonment of two exploration wells over the prospect. The operator took control over the prospect through the Lease Sale #206 by MMS in March 2008.
"The rig started drilling a well at a water depth of 5,000ft in MC block 252 in February 2010, but exploded during drilling in April 2010. The rig was on fire continuously for three days.
offshore-technology.com
"President Obama opens new areas to offshore drilling
By Juliet Eilperin and Anne E. Kornblut
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, April 1, 2010; A01
President Obama's decision, announced Wednesday, to approve new oil and gas drilling off U.S. coasts for the first time in decades reflects a high-stakes calculation by the White House: Splitting the difference on the most contentious energy issues could help secure a bipartisan climate deal this year.
In what could represent the biggest expansion of offshore energy exploration in half a century, Obama announced that he will open the door to drilling off Virginia's coast, in other parts of the mid- and south Atlantic, in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, and in waters off Alaska. At the same time, he declared off-limits the waters off the West Coast and in Alaska's Bristol Bay, canceled four scheduled lease sales in Alaska and called for more study before allowing new lease sales in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas. "
washingtonpost.com |
