“You possibly can’t repair silly” … Biden pauses new oil and fuel leasing for federal states and waters – Watts with that?
Guest “You Can’t Fix Stupid” by David Middleton
We knew this was coming …
Biden hits break in oil and gas leasing on public land and water
January 27, 2021
NATHAN ROTT, SCOTT DETROW, ALANA WISE
To slow the nation’s contribution to climate change, President Biden has signed an executive order to end the leasing of oil and gas in states and waters.
The much-anticipated move is one of several executive measures the president took on Wednesday to address the deepening climate crisis and the general decline of the natural world, but it will not come without a setback.
[…]
The oil and gas industry, which has been hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic, is likely to question the move, as are the fossil-fuel-rich western nations whose economies are closely linked to the extractive industries in public spaces.
Anticipating the move, Kathleen Sgamma, president of the Western Energy Alliance, which represents oil and gas companies in many western states, said, “We will be on trial shortly after.”
The extraction of fossil fuels in federal states generates license fees and revenues in the billions for the local and state economy. But it is also responsible for nearly a quarter of the country’s total greenhouse gas emissions, and Biden’s government appears serious about reducing the country’s oversized contribution to global warming.
[…]
Biden’s suspension of the new oil and gas leasing also has no impact on activities on private or state land, where roughly 90% of the country’s oil and gas development takes place.
“The industry has a lot of leases in production, a lot of leases that have been signed, so it doesn’t have an immediate impact. But it will immediately give the administration an opportunity to reflect on how we are moving forward, ”said Nada Culver, vice president of public land at the National Audubon Society.
[…]
“Ending the permit would be extremely difficult,” said Rebecca Watson, Assistant Secretary of Land and Minerals Management for the Home Office under President George W. Bush. “You sold a property right, a lease, so you paid for a lease and then you can’t develop it. I think there would be complaints, and rightly so, about such a move. “
A permanent leasing ban is also the subject of litigation, she said. Under the Mineral Leasing Act, the government is required to hold quarterly lease sales. The Biden government might make less or all of the land unavailable for lease, but Watson believes a court may find it illegal.
Mark Squillace, a law professor at the University of Colorado who worked at Interior under the Clinton and Carter administration, agrees that a permanent ban would create more problems than a temporary break. However, he believes the administration can make a great statement with its immediate actions.
[…]
NPR
This is perhaps the stupidest thing ever written:
The extraction of fossil fuels in federal states generates license fees and revenues in the billions for the local and state economy. But it is also responsible for nearly a quarter of the country’s total greenhouse gas emissions, and Biden’s government appears serious about reducing the country’s oversized contribution to global warming. generates license fees and billions in revenue for local and state economies. But it is also responsible for nearly a quarter of the country’s total greenhouse gas emissions, and Biden’s government appears serious about reducing the country’s oversized contribution to global warming.
The extraction of fossil fuels in federal states is not “responsible for almost a quarter of the country’s total greenhouse gas emissions”. Only an idiot could say it was. And only a total fracking idiot would point to a USGS report that proves their idiocy:
For the emissions portion of this study, we estimated the greenhouse gas (CO2, CH4, and N2O) emissions from the extraction and final burning of fossil fuels from US states, including offshore areas.
USGS
Almost all emissions come from the “final combustion of fossil fuels”. Neither a break nor a permanent end to the leasing of minerals in federal states and waters would have an impact on the total volume of oil and gas production produced worldwide, nor on the total volume of emissions from the “final combustion of fossil fuels”. It’s only going to shift a greater portion of the extraction to private and government leases … and places like Saudi Arabia, Iran, Venezuela, and Russia.
NPR: You win the Mother of All Ron White Awards.
NOIA’s response to Biden’s illegal act
Biden Oil & Gas Leasing “Pause” reduces emissions and advances in the climate
For immediate release: Wednesday, January 27, 2021
Washington, DC – The President of the National Ocean Industries Association, Erik Milito, made the following statement in response to the Biden Administration’s executive order instituting a moratorium on new oil and gas leasing:
“This decision is against the law and puts America on a path to increased imports from foreign nations that have been characterized as Pollution paradises. Any break in American energy opportunities will do immeasurable damage to American economic, energetic, and environmental progress. The reduction in American offshore oil and gas development means job losses, increased greenhouse gas emissions and less funding for outdoor parks and recreational activities for urban, disadvantaged communities. There is no shortage of negative consequences of this leasing break.
“The Gulf of Mexico is a strategic asset for America, creating hundreds of thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in investment in every US state. Billions of dollars are generated for federal, state and local governments. The Land & Water Conservation Fund and the multitude of climate and environmental justice programs it envisages receive virtually all of its funding from offshore oil and gas revenues, including new leasing offers. This decision could also affect the long-term affordability of energy. As Americans continue to rely on all sources of energy to maintain a high standard of living, lower supply can put pressure on prices.
“While the implementation ordinance is designed as a step towards a climate solution, the energy options are interrupted in a region in which the climate and emissions targets are already being achieved. Production in the Gulf of Mexico has a carbon intensity that is half that of the other producing regions, and deep water has the lowest greenhouse gas emissions of any oil and gas production source. The innovators who define America’s offshore energy industry are already helping to evolve solutions to climate change.
“The Department of the Interior is required by law to develop America’s energy resources rapidly. Instead of fulfilling this obligation and benefiting from an American success story in the field of environment and emissions, this decision offers China and Russia an opportunity. With China and Russia confiscating jobs and investments, their energy, which is generated without the same regulations and standards as the US, could well acquire permanent geopolitical significance to the detriment of the climate and the environment. “
Additional content
In May 2020, the National Ocean Industries Association released the report: The economic impact of the report on the oil and gas industry in the Gulf of Mexico. The report, produced by Energy & Industrial Advisory Partners, examines the economic impact of leasing or approving bans in the Gulf of Mexico. The study and national and state datasheets can be found below:
The economic impact of the report on the oil and gas industry in the Gulf of Mexico
Economic Impact One pager
Government employment affects a pager
National Ocean Industries Association
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