Just simply THANK YOU.
Hey folks,
Back on Wednesday, September 10, 2008, I posted Let Your Voice Be Heard, Send in your comments TODAY. I was talking about the idea that could make it possible for you to have a direct impact on the drilling debate in Washington. The Minerals Management Service (MMS) was collecting comments on its next five-year offshore leasing plan. The MMS, the federal agency responsible for administering the offshore oil and natural gas program, considers the size, timing, and location of the areas to be considered for federal leasing, and it bases its recommendations on the public’s comments. The plan is reviewed by Congress and approved by the Secretary of the Interior. They were accepting public comments on its 2010-2015 plan. Problem was, several anti-drilling groups have called on their members to flood MMS with comments. Therefore, the majority of comments oppose new leases.
I posted an Email from Jane over at API and the link that you could send in your comments. Well, apparently, you DID!
I got this Email just this past Friday Night.
Hey, Pete!
I’ve got some great news. Do you remember when you encouraged your readers to send letters in support of offshore drilling to the MMS back in September? It appears your efforts made a difference!
The Minerals Management Service (MMS) released its 2010-2015 five-year leasing plan this morning, and it proposes to open new offshore areas to oil and natural gas development. In Appendix A (page 132) the plan also notes that it received 152,000 letters from the general public and 53 percent supported increased offshore oil and natural gas production. When I contacted you about the five-year plan, we were certain that letters of support were lagging behind the number of letters that were critical of expanding offshore energy production.
Here’s a link to the MMS webpage where you can find the five-year plan:
Hey folks,
Back on Wednesday, September 10, 2008, I posted Let Your Voice Be Heard, Send in your comments TODAY. I was talking about the idea that could make it possible for you to have a direct impact on the drilling debate in Washington. The Minerals Management Service (MMS) was collecting comments on its next five-year offshore leasing plan. The MMS, the federal agency responsible for administering the offshore oil and natural gas program, considers the size, timing, and location of the areas to be considered for federal leasing, and it bases its recommendations on the public’s comments. The plan is reviewed by Congress and approved by the Secretary of the Interior. They were accepting public comments on its 2010-2015 plan. Problem was, several anti-drilling groups have called on their members to flood MMS with comments. Therefore, the majority of comments oppose new leases.I posted an Email from Jane over at API and the link that you could send in your comments. Well, apparently, you DID!
I got this Email just this past Friday Night.
Hey, Pete!
I’ve got some great news. Do you remember when you encouraged your readers to send letters in support of offshore drilling to the MMS back in September? It appears your efforts made a difference!
The Minerals Management Service (MMS) released its 2010-2015 five-year leasing plan this morning, and it proposes to open new offshore areas to oil and natural gas development. In Appendix A (page 132) the plan also notes that it received 152,000 letters from the general public and 53 percent supported increased offshore oil and natural gas production. When I contacted you about the five-year plan, we were certain that letters of support were lagging behind the number of letters that were critical of expanding offshore energy production.
Here’s a link to the MMS webpage where you can find the five-year plan:
http://www.mms.gov/5-year/2010-2015New5-YearHome.htm
And here’s a statement released by Jack Gerard, API’s president and CEO:
WASHINGTON – American Petroleum Institute President and CEO Jack Gerard today issued the following statement on the new Interior Department five-year oil and natural gas leasing plan, which proposes lease sales in recently opened areas off the Atlantic, Pacific and Eastern Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf:
“American consumers have been demanding access to the oil and natural gas located off our coasts and the draft proposed five-year plan, with its inclusion of areas that had been off-limits for more than 20 years, is a good step in the right direction. Developing our domestic resources is crucial to getting our nation’s economy back on its feet and getting more Americans back to work in well-paying jobs. A recent study showed that developing the oil and natural gas resources that had been off-limits for decades could bring in nearly two trillion dollars in revenue to federal, state and local governments, which could be used to fund schools, hospitals and other critical services. The study also showed that 160,000 new jobs could be created by 2030 if these resources were developed.
“America’s oil and natural gas companies have proven they can develop resources in an environmentally safe way. It is imperative Congress and the Obama administration allow this plan to move forward so our industry can do what it does best – supply the energy America needs.”
# # #
Of course, a lot can happen before any of these areas are opened to energy exploration and production. Only time will tell whether this nation has the will to produce more of its own domestic energy resources. But you certainly can take credit for helping to move the process in the right direction. Congratulations!
Jane
Thank you Jane, but no. I do not take the credit. I congratulate YOU. YOU folks, made this possible. 152,000 letters! 53 percent supported increased offshore oil and natural gas production. Folks, YOUR voices were heard. This is great news that I had to share with you. I also thank each and every one of you for participating. The Kooks lost this one again.
During the API Conference call, I brought up Obama. This stirred some further question and answers.
24:03 MS. VAN RYAN: All right. One other question from the same blogger: “Is there anything that the Obama administration could do to stabilize oil and gas prices?”
24:14 MR. FELMY: Well, we think that, looking carefully at what we can develop for resources in this country could help a lot. If you think about the wild rollercoaster that we had last year, of prices, it was driven by the economy, as I mentioned. Limited excess capacity was another factor. And so if we’re able to produce more oil and gas in this country, it could certainly help when you have tight markets – (inaudible, background noise). We also think that it’s important they can continue the important step forward that was made last year, and that was lifting the moratoria on the East Coast and West Coast.
But we can also see a change in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, because right now, the eastern Gulf of Mexico is off limits until 2022. And that is, perhaps, one of the best potential areas for developing more oil and gas quickly, because of its closeness to infrastructure and so on, and so we would think that, first of all, let’s think about how we can continue the process that was started last year. What can we also do as far as properly resourcing the Interior Department and the MMS in terms of all the steps that have to be taken to be able to go through five-year plan development, lease sales and then, ultimately, exploration and development approvals.
Well, we all know where you stand on this now. So does the Federal Government. We WANT Drilling. We want the Five year plan. Obama keeps saying that he wants to listen to the American people. You voiced your opinion on this, your voices were heard. Now we will have to wait and see if Obama, President Obama, really listens.
Peter
And here’s a statement released by Jack Gerard, API’s president and CEO:
WASHINGTON – American Petroleum Institute President and CEO Jack Gerard today issued the following statement on the new Interior Department five-year oil and natural gas leasing plan, which proposes lease sales in recently opened areas off the Atlantic, Pacific and Eastern Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf:
“American consumers have been demanding access to the oil and natural gas located off our coasts and the draft proposed five-year plan, with its inclusion of areas that had been off-limits for more than 20 years, is a good step in the right direction. Developing our domestic resources is crucial to getting our nation’s economy back on its feet and getting more Americans back to work in well-paying jobs. A recent study showed that developing the oil and natural gas resources that had been off-limits for decades could bring in nearly two trillion dollars in revenue to federal, state and local governments, which could be used to fund schools, hospitals and other critical services. The study also showed that 160,000 new jobs could be created by 2030 if these resources were developed.
“America’s oil and natural gas companies have proven they can develop resources in an environmentally safe way. It is imperative Congress and the Obama administration allow this plan to move forward so our industry can do what it does best – supply the energy America needs.”
# # #
Of course, a lot can happen before any of these areas are opened to energy exploration and production. Only time will tell whether this nation has the will to produce more of its own domestic energy resources. But you certainly can take credit for helping to move the process in the right direction. Congratulations!
Jane
Thank you Jane, but no. I do not take the credit. I congratulate YOU. YOU folks, made this possible. 152,000 letters! 53 percent supported increased offshore oil and natural gas production. Folks, YOUR voices were heard. This is great news that I had to share with you. I also thank each and every one of you for participating. The Kooks lost this one again.
During the API Conference call, I brought up Obama. This stirred some further question and answers.
24:03 MS. VAN RYAN: All right. One other question from the same blogger: “Is there anything that the Obama administration could do to stabilize oil and gas prices?”
24:14 MR. FELMY: Well, we think that, looking carefully at what we can develop for resources in this country could help a lot. If you think about the wild rollercoaster that we had last year, of prices, it was driven by the economy, as I mentioned. Limited excess capacity was another factor. And so if we’re able to produce more oil and gas in this country, it could certainly help when you have tight markets – (inaudible, background noise). We also think that it’s important they can continue the important step forward that was made last year, and that was lifting the moratoria on the East Coast and West Coast.
But we can also see a change in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, because right now, the eastern Gulf of Mexico is off limits until 2022. And that is, perhaps, one of the best potential areas for developing more oil and gas quickly, because of its closeness to infrastructure and so on, and so we would think that, first of all, let’s think about how we can continue the process that was started last year. What can we also do as far as properly resourcing the Interior Department and the MMS in terms of all the steps that have to be taken to be able to go through five-year plan development, lease sales and then, ultimately, exploration and development approvals.
Well, we all know where you stand on this now. So does the Federal Government. We WANT Drilling. We want the Five year plan. Obama keeps saying that he wants to listen to the American people. You voiced your opinion on this, your voices were heard. Now we will have to wait and see if Obama, President Obama, really listens.
Peter
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