Biden Administration Offers an Offshore Drilling Plan. Few Backers

"The five-year plan for America’s coastal waters, required by law, risks angering both the fossil fuel industry and environmentalists."

"WASHINGTON — The Biden administration announced its plan for oil and gas drilling off the coasts of the United States, closing off the possibility of new leases in the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic Oceans but potentially allowing new lease sales in both the Gulf of Mexico and in Cook Inlet in Alaska.

By law, the Department of the Interior is required to issue a plan for new oil and gas leases in federal waters every five years. This new one, which establishes where the government can sell oil and gas leases from 2022 through 2027, comes at a difficult moment for President Biden.

He wants to scale back drilling to fight climate change at the same time gas prices are rising, allowing his Republican critics to blame his climate policies for pain at the pump. In fact, most energy experts say, the jump in oil prices is a result of the pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has scrambled world markets. It takes years between the time a drilling lease is issued and when gasoline flows to gas stations."

Lisa Friedman reports for the New York Times July 1, 2022.

SEE ALSO:

"Biden Administration Punts On Whether To Open Up More Offshore Drilling" (The Hill)

"Biden Offshore Drilling Proposal Would Allow Up To 11 Sales" (AP)

Source: NYTimes, 07/05/2022