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U.S. Coast Guard / Getty Images, file
The Deepwater Horizon drilling rig burns on April 21, 2010.
A day before the Obama administration aims to showcase that the Gulf of Mexico is ready for new drilling, environmental groups on Tuesday sued to try to stop the leases.
The Interior Department's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, the coalition argues in its complaint, relies on an environmental impact statement that:
- "Fails to adequately consider the impacts of the Deepwater Horizon spill;
- "Does not incorporate new understandings of the risks posed by offshore driling, particularly in deepwater;
- "Ignores new information regarding the oil spill containment and response capabilities of industry; and
- "Fails to assess impacts using a post Deepwater Horizon baseline for species and habitats in the Gulf."
Catherine Wannamaker, an attorney representing the coalition in court, called it "illegal and irresponsible" for "the government and oil companies to return to business as usual without considering the oil spill’s impacts on the Gulf."
"We did not ask for an injunction of tomorrow’s sale, though we have apprised the government of our case and asked that they delay the sale or at a minimum notify bidders of the lawsuit," Wannamaker told msnbc.com. "We have not heard an answer, but my guess is that the sale will commence tomorrow."
The administration on Wednesday intends to announce the winners of the first oil and gas lease sale in the Gulf since the BP spill.
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar will even travel to New Orleans "to mark a major milestone in jumpstarting restoration of the Gulf region," the department said in a statement.
Twenty companies have submitted 241 bids on 191 tracts off Texas, the department added.
Following the Deepwater Horizon explosion on April 20, 2010, which killed 11 men and led to the worst U.S. oil spill, the Interior Department reorganized how it regulates the offshore energy industry.
BP and partners Transocean and Halliburton have been cited in various government reports as sharing responsibility for the disaster. The reports have also urged changes in corporate and regulatory culture, but many of the recommendations have yet to be implemented.
The National Academy of Engineering and National Research Council are coming out with their offshore drilling recommendations on Wednesday.
Tuesday's complaint was filed before the District Court in Washington, D.C., by Oceana, Defenders of Wildlife, the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Center for Biological Diversity.
The judge hearing the complaint is not required to rule before Wednesday's sale.
But if "the judge ultimately decides in our favor," Oceana campaign director Jackie Savitz told msnbc.com, "the government may have to buy back the leases."
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Leave a Comment:
Drill Baby Drill!
Put America back to work.
Time for another $40 billion from the taxpayers, I suppose. As for you CM, the check's in the mail.
CM,
How about innovate and stop drilling as the wells will all dry up? How about create new jobs in sectors with long-term groth and long-term employment?
Spill Baby Spill!
Put America back to work!
What could go wrong ?
Over the decades there have been over 20,000 leases drilled in the Gulf resulting in TWO major spills. I think they should drill the relief well at the same time as the main well as a safety precaution, but the overreaction to this was insane. Most cared only about the environmental impact (the equivalent in volume to putting a single drop of oil into a large swimming pool)... few even remember how many were killed in the accident.
You know..... drilling on land is a lot safer than deep water... how 'bout these idiots opening up some of the safer, near shore, on shore drilling......?????? Or would that make sense....
But..... Mr. Obummer isn't the villian here is he???? It's the other guys right???? Remember "necessarily higher" energy costs.....????? Any correlation to the fact that our economic recovery is struggling?????
I hate the deep water stuff.. there is sooooo much available on land..... but we ARE subsidizing the Brazilians in their DEEP WATER drilling... sooooooooo.... is it bad or good???? or are we hoping it will all blow up in their faces and we will be the heros?
Right on! i know many friends and family lost jobs in Louisiana! ridiculous! gas is just at
$3 a gallon and it's rarely been that high in this area for so long thanx to Obombo! And
the green energy liberals won't admit that it isn't cost efficent or easily ready and has
problems! all these electric cars have to get energy from somewhere! and the batteries
are toxic just like the new lightbulbs that we are now force to buy at $3 and up! when does
this madness end! open up the gulf all land drilling and the pipeline and watch energy
prices drop! and stop our relying on other countries but the Obombo and liberals are
not interested in jobs or cheap energy just pushing their radical agendas!
The oil companies themselves said they would develop the technology and equipment to prevent a repeat of the BP disaster BEFORE they drilled any more deep wells.
So far the oil companies haven't reported a single new improvement in equiipment or clean-up technology. Why don't they create jobs doing that, instead of wanting to drill again with NOTHING in place to help prevent another oil spill? Afterall, it would be ALOT cheaper for the oil companies to invest in that new equipment and technology, than it would be to pay for another oil spill.
Not to mention all the damage another spill would cause to the local economies and the environment.
Gee, an auction for Gulf oil leases while Harry Reid is just sitting on all those House Republican 'job' bills. Apparently the Republican urgency was so they could take credit for lease auctions already in the pipeline. Half of the House's legislative 'accomplishments' just became irrelevant.
Not only is the House not doing anything - they try to take credit for the work of others. Not only are they losers - they are slackers, too.
What if imported oil became less accessible?
The United States is already the world's third largest oil producer at 9 million barrels per day. Our current domestic production would supply half our petroleum demand. Less than 10 pct of our domestic oil consumption is supplied by Middle East oil. The bulk of our imported supply is provided by Canada, Mexico, and South American countries.
Petroleum is not the only energy source available. The United States, Canada, and Mexico also have large reserves of natural gas and coal. Added to the fossil fuel reserves are significant capacity for biofuels, non-fossil energy, and our reserves of fissile material for nuclear.
The danger to the United States is not energy supply but speculative inflation on energy commodities. While the United States is the largest consumer of fossil energy - the financial markets have the largest influence on price of the commodities.
We lease oil rights to BP, but then we want to build a pipeline from Canada to Texas? Why not drill the gulf ourselves, or would that make to much sense? Better to lease it off then import more oil from Canada we lose more money that way right? Seems a little backwards to me.
There would be more spills if not for the media. Just look at poor Nigeria and all the oil that has been spilled there. Makes the gulf spills look like a drops in the bucket, but you never hear about them here. Another country we use so that we can prosper, does it not make you feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside knowing you are partially to blame for all the suffering in that country. Where do you think we got all that cheap gas from among other places?
We need energy Independence. We need access to our oil resources. Obama has a stated policy of blocking the use of carbon base fuels. He wants us on windmills.
Obama will yield to these idiots as he did with the Keystone project and all Americans will suffer because of it. For those fear mongers about oil spills they should stay in their home because if they go out there is a chance a car will hit them. There are risks in anything humans do but the risk of oil spills is one of the lesser risks. For once I would hope Obama would practice what he speaks and do what is right for Americans instead of doing what will get him some votes.
This is why businesses choose to move their operations to other countries where they don't have to deal with groups like the Enviro-Nuts. You can't have it both ways. If you want industry in this country you must accept the negatives as well as all those jobs.
Underwater drilling should be banned globally. Accidents can be contained more easily on dry land. The big corporations ignoring regulations in order to maximise profits, will produce more mayhem.
Obama's voter base trying to block job creation again.
and those jobs will not last: once the rig is up, the construction jobs are gone; once the well is dried up, all those production jobs are gone.
Monkey - almost all construction work is temporary, very few construction projects are indefinite. So your point their is moot.
Second wells last around 10 to 15 years. While I don't know the qualifications on what is long-term, 10 years is longer then the average time spent at one company.
While there are valid arguments about not creating wells, jobs is not one of them.
Someone will process, refine it, market it and sell it long after that well runs dry and another takes it place.
......Obama can not control his own radical base. First he gives in to them on the Keystone pipeline and now I bet he does the same in the Gulf. He will delay a descision until after the 2012 elections.......he is to busy campaigning to worry about job creation and energy independence. This is what you get when elect a President who while a Senator his #1 vote was "abstain". He is unable to make a descision and unable to lead and unite a country.
Let's just add more poisons to the Gulf, why not as rich white men NEED to get richer! Sure they're going to sell it as folks are getting back to work, but it is them getting richer while not exposing themselves to any risk.
The world needs to stop running on 19th century technology. Lots of hope that is going to go through as the aforementioned rich folks cornered the market on stopping, or buying, any technology that threatens their livelihood. What a great world we life in! <--not my sarcasm.
The environmentalists do not want the oil wells in the Gulf because of the oil spills.
The environmentalists do not want wind mills because of the fear of birds dieing from hitting the blades.
The environmentalists do not want ocean driven power turbines because it could hurt the fish.
The environmentalists do not want the new light bulbs because they contain mercury.
The environmentalists do not like the electric cars because of the dangers of the battery.
The environmentalists do not like plastic water bottles.
The environmentalists should live in a tent in the middle of a desert.