As we “celebrate” the one year anniversary of the Obama Administration’s draconian gulf oil drilling moratorium, it’s difficult to imagine a policy more destructive to our oil independence, our economy, and to many in Louisiana their very livelihoods. The loss of jobs currently stands in the  thousands, and production has gone from 1.7 million barrels/day to 1.5, and will drop another 200 thousand or so by next year. We usually get 40-50 new deepwater permits/yr; currently that number stands at thirteen, and only one is truly new; the others are re-issued after being denied post-Deepwater Horizon disaster. One third of our domestic oil production comes from the gulf; 90% of that from deepwater wells. Senator Vitter has refused to approve Ken Salazar’s salary increase as Secretary of the Interior (to make it commensurate with other cabinet members) until the Secretary starts doing his job and issuing permits again. Salazar remains in contempt of a federal court.

The duplicity emanating from the administration is evident in the discrepancies (lies??) between the Interior Department’s figures and those of the Department of Justice concerning numbers of permits pending. Michael Bromwich, head of BOEMRE (Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Regulation & Enforcement) has voiced contradictory statements in testimony to Congress.

Former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel once quipped “Never let a crisis go to waste”. Well, here is that policy in action. To see this all as just being cautious after such a tragedy is at best wishful thinking, and at worst downright disingenuous. Consider: Obama, while a candidate, said that his energy policies would necessarily cause energy prices to skyrocket. Ken Salazar, while a  Colorado senator stated that even at $10/gallon gasoline he would still not favor further drilling. Steven Chu, Energy Secretary, has gone on the record stating that we need to find a way to get our gasoline prices to the levels in Europe (at that time $7-$8/gallon). Now, suddenly, the President decides to release oil from our SPR (Strategic Petroleum Reserves), which are meant only for  major disruption to OUR oil supply. I suppose this idiotic move can be rationalized when one considers that we DO have a major disruption to our supply. Of course, Mr. Obama and his policies have CAUSED this major disruption to our supply.

These are just a few of the players behind the perverse policies crippling our state’s economy, as well as seriously damaging our country’s prospect for any kind of energy independence, at a time when the middle east remains a powder keg. This is insanity; or, more accurately, it is ideology. It is a rigid green ideology that will not relent, even though evidence of its destructive effects pervades daily news. These people know the difference between regulation & strangulation, even if they act as though they do not. Americans had better soon get over their infatuation with this “hope & change” president, and open their eyes to just what he and his administration are all about.

Mike Thibodeaux
President-elect
Baton Rouge Tea Party