The Department of Interior has taken the unprecedented step of redoing its five-year plan to study the possibility of drilling for oil in areas now prohibited — such as Northern California.
The new plan would replace an existing five-year plan launched just last year. That plan didn”t consider developing banned areas such as the Mendocino Coast.
The new one could consider all areas. How the two plans would work together has not been clarified.
The agency charged with protecting the environment and regulating offshore drilling has now taken a political stance in favor of opening new areas to offshore oil drilling.
The move was announced during a phone press conference on July 30. Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne made it clear that the sudden redoing of the five-year plan was needed because of a national crisis caused by high gas prices. He invoked President George Bush”s move last month to lift the presidential ban on drilling in sensitive areas as the legal authority for Interior”s move.
Doing a new five-year plan for developing the outer continental shelf would provide the new president with options to drill without having to wait until the end of the current five-year plan in 2012, Kempthorne repeatedly said.
The online press conference was attended by reporters from all over the nation who took turns asking questions for 30 minutes.
Public radio station KZYX&Z reporter Christina Aanestad pointed out that, just the week before, the federal government had signed onto an ocean action plan proposed by the governors of California, Oregon and Washington. In that plan, the same federal agency now proposing to expand oil drilling agreed to help the states protect the Pacific Coast from offshore oil drilling.
Kempthorne was unable to resolve that conflict, but said governors would be consulted prior to any new areas being included in the new five-year plan.
The current program runs from 2007-2012 and includes 21 lease sales in eight of the 26 Outer Continental Shelf planning areas in the Gulf of Mexico, Alaska and the Atlantic. It does not include areas under a congressional ban, with the exception of Virginia.
Under the new plan, Interior could begin selling leases as early as 2011. Exploratory drilling would probably begin a few years after that.
“Americans continue to struggle with high gas prices, and it”s important that we do more to develop domestic sources of energy,” Kempthorne said.
Immediately following the press event, this reporter sent several unanswered questions to Kempthorne and the Minerals Management Service. Limited response to one question was provided, but Richard Charter, a long time foe of offshore drilling and member of Defenders of Wildlife, did provide answers.
This reporter asked what the legal authority was for the unprecedented move by Interior and whether the agency has an attorney general opinion it could share.
No answer came from Interior.
Charter said the congressional outer continental shelf moratorium specifically prohibits the Department of Interior from expending any funds for “leasing, pre-leasing, and related activities.”
“This violation of the current congressional moratorium by the Department of Interior as they issue a new offshore drilling plan that is inclusive of moratorium waters is clearly illegal under the legislation presently in effect, and reflects a flagrant disregard for the letter of the law,” Charter said.
After researching the presidential ban, which President Bush lifted last month, this reporter asked Interior to explain how that action could be the legal authority for the new five-year plan to expand oil drilling.
Interior gave no answer.
Charter did, saying, “The recent removal by President Bush of his father”s executive ban on drilling within the same geographic areas has nothing whatever to do with what action Congress may or may not take with regard to the completely separate, legislative offshore leasing moratorium which continues to remain in full effect. The simple fact is that the congressional ban is still in force, and the Interior Department knows this, and Interior still made a calculated decision to disregard federal law on this issue.”
During the press conference, one reporter asked if oil companies would be required to do anything in exchange for opening new areas, such as committing to lower gas prices. Kempthorne explained that wasn”t how the process worked.
Despite the congressional moratorium, all of the West Coast is shown as included in the requests for comments published by the Mineral Management Service on Aug. 1. Comments will be accepted until Sept. 15. Information on how to comment can be found at www.mms.gov.
The seven-page request for comments sells the need for more oil, discussing the effect of rising gas prices on trucking, factories and national security. It also asks eight questions, which range from what areas should be excluded to how the nation can provide its energy needs without renewed offshore drilling.
“We have five weeks to develop a movement to save our coast,” said Rachel Binah, longtime activist against drilling.
“[House Speaker] Nancy Pelosi will not be able to indefinitely prevent a vote on a bill to lift the moratorium on drilling offshore. In this perfect storm, the Department of the Interior Minerals Management Service five-year plan for drilling will go into effect the minute the moratorium is lifted,” Binah said.
Key events related to offshore energy
July 2007 — New five-year plan for development of the outer continental shelf for oil and gas drilling launched. The plan runs from July 1, 2007, through June 30, 2012, and includes 21 lease sales in eight of the 26 outer continental shelf planning areas in the Gulf of Mexico, Alaska, and the Atlantic Ocean, according to Department of Interior. It does not include any areas covered by congressional bans with the exception of Virginia.
June 18, 2007 — On the same day, President Bush and Presumptive Republican nominee Sen. John McCain announce they want to open the outer continental shelf to oil drilling. The position represents a reversal for McCain. Bush had signed a ban on drilling in the past and had not made opening up the outer continental shelf to development an issue previously.
June 21, 2007 — California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger criticizes McCain”s position and reiterates his opposition to new offshore oil drilling. The governor supports McCain”s presidential bid.
July 14, 2008 — President Bush lifts executive moratorium serving as a second layer of protection for Northern California and many others offshore areas deemed sensitive. The ban had first been imposed by his father.
July 30, 2008 — New Public Policy Institute of California poll shows 51 percent of Californians favor new offshore oil drilling, the first time a majority has favored the idea and up 10 percent over support for the idea in 2007. The poll shows the change is driven mostly by Republicans changing their minds on the issue.
July 30, 2008 — A Democratic proposal to counter oil market speculation fell victim to the drilling dispute, failing 276-151 in the House. That was nine votes short of the two-thirds needed for approval because the measure had been offered under expedited rules imposed by the Democrats to avoid GOP attempts to attach an offshore drilling provision. (Associated Press)
Aug. 1, 2008 — Department of Interior officially launches new five-year plan for energy uses of the outer continental shelf. The launch is two years early. This plan would overlap with the plan launched in July 2007. Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne says high gas prices have necessitated the move. Critics say the move is illegal and would be appropriate for the Department of Energy but not Interior, charged with protecting the environment. The Minerals Management Service is in charge of regulating oil drilling on the outer continental shelf (more than 3 miles from shore) But until now the MMS had not openly advocated for increased drilling.
Aug. 1, 2008 — The Department of Interior opens up new areas off Alaska to oil and gas drilling.
Aug. 1 — Presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama changes his stance on offshore oil drilling to say he could endorse new drilling in banned areas as part of a broad energy compromise.
Sept. 30, 2008 — The congressional ban protecting Northern California”s coastline from oil and gas drilling expires. It will take an act of Congress and the president”s signature (or a veto override in both the House and Senate) to extend the current ban on new offshore drilling.
