This set of options is virtually political to the administration about the new offshore drills he promised to end. It shows that it is punting a failed decision on federal land and waters during the 2020 campaign. Public commentswill continue until the end of September, but interiors may take longer to analyze comments before announcing the final plan, a senior government official said in an interview.
"The proposed plan narrows the discussion to areas where existing production and infrastructure exist," he said. "We believe this proposal is an opportunity for the public to participate meaningfully in the ongoing debate on how to best meet the country's energy needs and achieve a transition to a clean energy economy.
High fuel prices have been exhausted by the evaluation of Byden's approval , and Democrats are under pressure from environmental groups to reduce methane emissions from the fossil fuel industry. Gives Republicans a handy weapon to fight against climate change, said Matt Smith, chief oil analyst at analysis firmKpler.
"They hate them if they do, and they hate them if they don't," Smith said in a pre-announcement interviewabout the administration's options. "If so, they are exposed to criticism that they are pursuing fossil fuels. Otherwise, they are accused of disrupting oil production in and pushing up prices.
If the government chose not to offer leasing sales, the program began in 1980 when the government refused to lease the waters of the Gulf of Mexico for oil production. It's the first time since it was done. It also took office promising to lead the United States on the path to zero net greenhouse gas emissions, but is major for Biden, who has come to demand more oil and gas production as inflation soars. It will be a political bet.
Gasoline prices have fallen from the recent high of $ 5.00 per gallon set in mid-June, but still rise at$ 4.82 gallons.Americans point out inflation as the most important issue facing the country for, contributing to Biden's low approval rate.
"Sacrificing the oil and gas leasing in the Gulf of Mexico will have devastating consequences for our country for decades," said National, a trading group that supports offshore oil and production. Erik Milito, Head of the Ocean Industries Association, said. 34}
SenatorJoe Manchin, West Virginia Democratic Party member , chairing the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Commission, is in the oil and gas sector. Supporters of the Senate, the largest Democrat, have expressed concern that the interior even includes options that do not include lease sales.
"I'm disappointed that" zero "lease sales are even a table option," Manchin said in a press release. "All Americans have finally unveiled plans to expand domestic energy production, taking the necessary steps to get the offshore leasing program back on track, while doing it in the cleanest possible way.
But if it continues to offer leased sales, environmental groups will pull America away from fossil fuels as climate change amplifies increasingly catastrophic weather patterns across the country. You will blame him for failing to fulfill his promise. Energy and environmental analytics firm Kairos said in a report on Friday that U.S. methane emissions, which declined in 2020 when drilling slowed during the Covid pandemic, are ready to be higher than in 2019. rice field.
"The President has promised to lead climate change, which is incompatible with leading climate change," said the campaign director of conservation group Oceana. Diane Hoskins says. "We need to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and lead to clean energy. This will lead to dangerous offshore drills."
Internalannounces plans I was under political pressure to do so. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland promised to the Senator of the Energy and Natural Resources Commission that it would end by June 30,,, and submitted a proposal to the White House a few weeks ago. People familiar with this issue told POLITICO. It began discussions among staff on whether to maintain or maintain the pace of recent biannual lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico to avoid criticism that the government was not interested in fuel prices. rice field. Biden's climate message and new leases will be suspended.
"There has been increasing pressure to soften the environmental infrastructure over the past few days," said one industry representative, who had been in contact with the White House on the proposal, demanding that they discuss anonymous and personal conversations.
Despite the turmoil, the impact of the new offshore leasing has not been felt for several years.
New leases in the Gulf of Mexico will take at least five years to supply oil and gas, analysts sayAlso, new lease sales will be automatically produced. Does not lead to: Exxon, Shell, BP, and other companies own thousands of leases purchased for previous sale that are not currently being developed. The Gulf of Mexico is expected to produce about the same amount of oil by the end of 2023, even without new leases of
, the US Energy Information Administration said. An analysis ofpublished earlier this month shows.
The five-year plan that Interior first began creating in 1980 is what part of the federal offshore land company can be leased for oil and gas production, and when those leases are. Identify what will happen. Over the years, the relatively calm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, which is rich in oil and gas, have emerged as a major region of interest for most industries. This region produces more oil than anywhere else. United States excluding Texas.
This particular update has received a lot of attention since the Trump administrationpublished its first draft in 2018. Like Florida, which is currently banned.