Interior Secretary Under Fire Over Obama Energy Policy

By Adrianna McGinley

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar faced tough scrutiny by members of the House Natural Resources Committee regarding the Obama administration’s energy policy.

Republican members of the committee cited the lengthy process oil companies go through to lease and develop land in order be able to produce oil, saying the record high levels of domestic oil production could not possibly be the result of Obama administration policy.

Rep. Raul Labrador (R-Idaho) criticized Salazar and the entire Obama administration for “taking credit” for current oil production success.

“That just doesn’t make any sense to me,” Labrador said. “If it takes more than two or three years to get from lease to production and we have the highest production right now, isn’t it true…that this is based on actions from the previous administration?”

Members of the committee also blasted the administration for proposing more federal regulation of the hydrofracking method of energy production and for delaying a decision on the Keystone XL pipeline.

“What we’re now watching is the administration systematically shutting off our future oil development,” said Rep. Tom McClintock (R-Calif.).

Rep. John Fleming (R-La.) defended hydrofracking saying it is a method that has worked safely for decades and concerns are unfounded. The Congressman blasted Salazar for not being able to answer “basic” technical questions regarding hydrofracking concerns.

“These are very simple questions…If the very top level doesn’t know the very basics of the technology, why is it that you somehow feel you can insinuate yourself into the process.”

Committee Ranking Member Edward Markey (D-Mass.) defended the administration, saying rather it is Republicans who are holding back domestic energy production.

“It is the Republican Majority that is protecting the billions of dollars we could retrieve from making oil and gas companies pay their fair share for drilling on our public lands. It is the Republican Majority that has opposed Democratic efforts to close free drilling loopholes, and end unnecessary tax breaks…Congressional Republicans are making our debt negotiations look worse than the NBA lockout.”

After several heated confrontations with members of the committee, the Interior Secretary told reporters that he stands by his testimony and the administration.

“From day one the president and I have worked on developing a comprehensive energy program for the nation. It’s a broad portfolio and we’re making significant progress on all fronts,” Salazar said. “With respect to the heated exchange…it’s the political season and I understand it and a member of Congress wants to score a point back home and so it’s to be expected.”

Obama Applauds New Cap's Success, Says We're Not In The Clear Yet

After recent success in temporarily capping the spewing oil well in the Gulf of Mexico, President Barack Obama told reporters Friday that there is an enormous amount of work that still needs to be done. 

The president said the success of new cap is “good news” but, when looking at the bigger picture, all roads end after the two relief wells being drilled are completed and the Macondo well is killed. According to President Obama, the drilling of the two relief wells is ahead of schedule, but said connecting the relief wells to the Macondo well is the most crucial step in finally stopping the flow of oil.

The “well integrity” test that, for the first time in nearly three months, stopped the flow of oil into the Gulf has seen great success so far. If the new cap fails to completely shut down the well, the president said it will be effective in containing nearly 80,000 barrels of oil per day, a monumental increase compared to the 25,000 the previous cap was averaging. 

President Obama urged members of the media and the American people to recognize that this does not mean that our fight against the well is over.

“We won’t be done until we actually know that we’ve killed the well and we have a permanent solution in place,” Obama said. “We’re moving in that direction, but I don’t want us to get too far ahead of ourselves.”

Gulf Coast Struggling, But Open For Business

By Miles Wolf Tamboli
Talk Radio News Service

Like so many Gulf Coast businesses, the Heritage Motor Coach Resort and Marina was doing great until April 20th. Now, in the wake of the disastrous oil spill, its owner is struggling to make ends meet.

"Our phones are not ringing and we're not getting reservations because of the oil spill in general and ... how the media has portrayed it," Duke Gibbs told Talk Radio News Friday. "Nine out of ten days on our resort there's not hint of oil, there's no smell of oil, but the spill in general has just killed our activity."

Gibbs' message was clear; the entire Gulf Coast is struggling from a misleading reputation stemming from the spill's impact. In fact, he said, the beaches where he is are clean, and the area is open for business.

"Over the last week I've seen a big difference in the amount of organization and cleanup effort ... our beaches look great ... they're responding quickly, and I also believe they're doing a much better job of containment out in the Gulf," said Gibbs.

The Country Music Channel will be hosting a free concert featuring Jimmy Buffett and Kenny Chesney in Orange Beach, Alabama on July 1st to raise awareness and demonstrate support for the Gulf Coast region. To commemorate the event, Gibbs' resort will be holding a "4 for 2" night special, to encourage tourists to visit the area.

Gibbs told Talk Radio News Service that the Alabama Gulf Coast has the same white sand beaches, shopping, and dining of bigger Gulf Coast resorts like Destin and Panama City, Florida, but without the crowds. Because of this, Gibbs considers it "the perfect destination."

"Our only hope is to try to remain positive and promote our businesses ... and at the same time hope that BP will do their part," said Gibbs.

Still, Gibbs is aware that the economic future of the Gulf Coast is still uncertain. When asked about his stance on the six-month moratorium imposed by the Obama administration in response to the spill, Gibbs explained that up to 50 percent of his clients' businesses are somehow tied to the oil industry, and "they believe [the moratorium] will do nothing but absolutely kill the entire Gulf Coast economy over in the Louisiana and Texas area."

Gibbs said he has filed a claim with BP, but because he opened his resort just in the past year, he cannot provide the oil giant with the three to four years' of documents it requested. Gibbs filed his request two and a half weeks ago, and has not yet received any sort of compensation.

Senators At Odds Over Moratorium

By Miles Wolf Tamboli-Talk Radio News Service

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held a hearing Thursday to discuss a number of bills related to oil regulation and the Deepwater Horizon spill, which has just recently been re-capped after a pipe was allegedly damaged by a remotely-controlled robot, although oil can still be seen spewing from the pipe at an unknown rate.

However, lawmakers seem to have been distracted by debates over the 6-month moratorium on off-shore drilling exploration in the Gulf, which was lifted earlier in the week by a federal judge in New Orleans, as well as skepticism over the legitimacy of the presidential commission that recommended the drilling ban.

Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.) expressed the views of many legislators, saying that it is "common sense" to stop drilling, at least on the rigs that are in development and not yet producing oil, until the disaster can be better understood.

Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu (D), however, stated that she "fiercely" disagrees with the moratorium. Although the ban only applies to 33 oil rigs, Landrieu argued that an economic analysis in the state has concluded that a moratorium could threaten 46,200 jobs and lost wages could amount to $5 to $10 million dollars per month.

The Senior Senator from the state that may prove to be the most impacted by the disaster cited job creation legislation Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) is trying to pass, and stated that, "if we don't get this right we're going to eliminate every job that we're trying to create by putting people out of work in the Gulf."

Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) attacked the motives behind the President's oil spill commission, calling it, "stacked with people who philosophically oppose offshore exploration."

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar contended that the ban was, "not an ideological issue."

"With all due respect, the President, in choosing the members of this commission, chose the kinds of statesmen who, I believe, will transcend partisan politics and ideology," said Salazar.

Boehner Tees Off On Obama Over Oil Spill, Spending

By Miles Wolf Tamboli
Talk Radio News

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) today blasted President Barack Obama's address to the nation Tuesday night and his administration's handling of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

"The tragedy unfolding on our coast is the most painful and powerful reminder yet that the time to embrace a clean energy future is now," said the President during his prime-time address from the Oval Office.

Boehner harshly criticized the President's motives; "I don't think President Obama should exploit this crisis by imposing a national energy tax."

"Using this tragedy in the Gulf Coast as an excuse to have a national energy tax...is not the right thing for the country and we should put a stop to it," he added.

The top House Republican continued, showing his strong opposition to the administration's recent health care reform and economic stimulus legislation.

"Under the President's watch, Democrats have become 'spend-aholics' who can't restrain themselves...Democrats have lost every shred of credibility when it comes to managing taxpayer dollars."

According to Boehner, the President has "so far overreached, and so fast, that he's lost the confidence of the American people."