McCain Pushes to Expand U.S. Offshore Drilling

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McCain Pushes to Expand U.S. Offshore Drilling

photo by Flickr user twinkletoez

"It takes a very short leap in logic to wonder why we produce less and less crude oil while we use more and more of it," said Sen. John McCain, "or why politicians talk so much about promoting alternative energy sources, but often do so little to promote these alternatives."
(Houston Chronicle, 6/17/08)

ENERGY SOLUTION? On a day when gas prices reached an average of $4.08 a gallon, John McCain said he supported lifting a federal oil drilling ban along U.S. coasts. Environmentalists, Democrats and some Republicans criticized McCain's plan.

by Sean Conneely
Informify Staff Writer
June 18, 2008

Monday, Sen. John McCain (R—Ariz.) proposed lifting the moratorium on drilling for oil and gas in U.S. waters. He said individual states should be able to decide whether to allow drilling off their coasts. Critics accused the presumptive Republican presidential candidate of supporting big oil companies and backing the Bush administration's failed energy policy.

Coastal Drilling: One Part of McCain's Energy Crisis Solution

Responding to voters' rising concerns over energy prices, McCain announced Monday that lifting the federal moratorium on drilling for oil and gas would ''be very helpful in the short term resolving our energy crisis.'' (The Boston Globe, 6/17)

The Arizona senator said allowing more exploratory drilling was only part of his overall energy policy, but an important part.

"We must embark on a national mission to eliminate our dependence on foreign oil and reduce greenhouse gases through the development of alternative energy sources," McCain said. "And exploration is a step toward the long-term goal." (San Francisco Chronicle, 6/17/08)

McCain's Oil Drilling Plan Gives States a Choice

McCain's plan would...

let states decide whether to allow oil companies to drill for oil and gas off of their coasts
offer states financial incentives (perhaps greater royalties) for permitting exploratory drilling

Last month, the senate voted against a similar GOP-backed energy plan.

McCain explained at the press conference that states would have a choice. "I don't want to dictate to the states what they should do. But I think that the states can be provided with additional incentives." (USA Today, 6/17/08)

McCain added, however, that he still supported a ban in some areas, including the controversial Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

McCain's Drilling Plan Outrages Democrats and Environmentalists

As expected, opposition to McCain's plan came from environmentalists and Democrats.

Democratic presumptive presidential candidate Barack Obama responded harshly to McCain's energy proposal.

"John McCain's plan to simply drill our way out of our energy crisis is the same misguided approach backed by President Bush that has failed our families for too long and only serves to benefit the big oil companies," said Obama spokesman Hari Sevugan. (The Washington Post, 6/17/08)

Many environmentalists also criticized McCain's solution to the energy crisis, and said it will only make the problem worse down the road.

"Drilling in protected areas offshore won't solve our energy needs in the short term, and in the long term will increase the threat of global warming," said League of Conservation Voters President Gene Karpinski. (San Francisco Chronicle, 6/17/08)

McCain's Plan Also Outrages Some Republicans

Not all of the criticism surrounding McCain's new energy proposal is expected to come from the left. McCain may also face roadblocks from within his own party.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has been an outspoken proponent of the moratorium. Schwarzenegger's spokesperson, Aaron McLear, said the governor continued to support McCain, but "[t]here are things that he and the senator will agree on, and things they won't agree on." (The Washington Post, 6/17/08)

Question for Readers:

Given the skyrocketing gas and energy prices, would you support lifting the ban on exploratory oil and gas drilling of U.S. coasts?

Republican John McCain announced Monday he favors lifting the ban on oil drilling in U.S. coastal waters. Democrats, environmentalists, and some Republicans opposed McCain's proposal, saying it simply continues the Bush administration's failed energy policy.

The United States consumes about 20.5 million barrels of oil every day. That's nearly one-quarter of the world's daily use—an estimated 86 million barrels a day.

Since 60% of the oil America uses comes from foreign sources, energy independence is a prominent issue in this year's presidential election.

McCain Proposes to Lift Ban
In 1981, the U.S. Congress imposed a moratorium in offshore oil drilling:

Banned drilling off 80% of U.S. coastal waters
Drilling allowed off western Gulf Coast
Denied Georgia, South Carolina and Virginia from drilling off their coasts after they appealed ban
Renewed by every administration since 1981

John McCain's proposal to lift the federal ban will give states the option of imposing their own bans in their coastal waters if they want.

Coastal Ban Keeps How Much Oil Out of Reach?

In its 2006 report, the U.S. Department of the Interior made the following estimates about two potential oil reserves in the United States:

Outer Continental Shelf—115.4 billion barrels
U.S. coastal reserves currently banned—19 billion barrels, or about two-and-a-half years' worth of oil at current U.S. consumption levels