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Originally Posted by sgtdmski  News Flash, the contracts were negotiated by the Department of Interior, and department within the executive branch. So how did politicians and Congress get involved with this endeavor???? The last time I checked the members of the Department of Interior were bureaucrats. Again, it is easy to assume anything.
The in good faith means that two entities entered into negotiations and came to an agreement, an agreement in which both parties had expectations to fulfill. Now after the fact, we see that the government wants to punish the companies for upholding their end of the agreement. Unless the companies are willing to pay for being successful in order to obtain new leases, they will not be granted the new leases.
No one complained when the contracts were agreed upon in 1998, everybody was happy to have a source of oil available, but lo and behold, suddenly OPEC stiffened the flow and prices increased, and now Congress is bent out of shape.
Our problem remains our dependence on foreign oil. Perhaps if we had more domestic oil this would not be a problem. But god forbid that we actually drill the oil we have in this country, cause when it comes down to it, the life of a caribou is always more valued than the life and livelihood of the poor.
dmk |
I did some research and found out that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is part of the Department of the Interior Bureaus! The DOI is run by Dirk Kempthorne:
Bush names Idaho Gov. Kempthorne interior secretary
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Bush picked Idaho Gov. Dirk Kempthorne on Thursday to be his new interior secretary, selecting a pro-development Western Republican to push for more oil and gas drilling from the Gulf of Mexico to Alaska's North Slope.
Read the article here:
USATODAY.com - Bush names Idaho Gov. Kempthorne interior secretary
It turns out that DOI manages 68% of our nations gas and of our nations gas and oil reserves.
Kempthorne May Offer Areas in North Aleutian Basin, Central Gulf of Mexico for Leasing; Increases Royalty Rate for Offshore Oil and Gas Leases
Read this article here:
U.S. Department of the Interior - News Release -Kempthorne May Offer Areas in North Aleutian Basin, Central Gulf of Mexico for Leasing; Increases Royalty Rate for Offshore Oil and Gas Leases
The areas were withdrawn from consideration for leasing through 2012 by President Bill Clinton in 1998. By modifying that Presidential withdrawal to remove these two areas, President Bush’s action allows the Secretary of the Interior the option of offering these areas during the Minerals Management Service’s next five-year OCS oil and gas leasing program (2007-2012).
“Both OCS areas – one in the North Aleutian Basin of Alaska, known as Bristol Bay, and the other in the Central Gulf of Mexico – would receive thorough environmental reviews,” Kempthorne said. “There will be significant opportunities for study and public comment before any oil and gas development could take place in these areas.”
More information, including a fact sheet, maps of the areas and the President's memorandum, on this is at:
Minerals Management Service Home Page
Thanks for point this out to me as I actual thought congress had some say in what went on at the DOI. I have learned something. I have learned that as soon as Kempthorne took control he attempted to hide the truth, by removing the link I posted from the Fish and Game Service. It is totally apparent that Bush didn't like the ecological
facts the Fish and Game people were sharing will the public. Can you say Greed and Corruption,,,,,AGAIN?
As for the Polar bear, we both know they'll be in the endangered species list within 6 months. Soon to follow will be the walrus.
This is from your DOI's own website as is most of the info in this post:
BOISE, Idaho) – Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne today announced the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to list the polar bear as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act and initiating a comprehensive scientific review to assess the current status and future of the species.
The Service will use the next 12 months to gather more information, undertake additional analyses, and assess the reliability of relevant scientific models before making a final decision whether to list the species.
Read the full Story:
U.S. Department of the Interior - News Release - Interior Secretary Kempthorne Announces Proposal to List Polar Bears as Threatened Under Endangered Species Act
I agree we this:
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Originally Posted by sgtdmski Our problem remains our dependence on foreign oil. |
The answer is alternate energy not domestic oil. I mean, it's it apparent that, in the long run, pumping all that oil out of the ground and converting it into CO2 to pump into the our air is doing far more damage to humans' and our inter-connected eco-systems, than it will do to help them.
Wind. Water. Solar. Biofuels. This is what these companies should do with the money they want to spend drilling. All the big oil companies must be run by a bunch of pussies that want to make the sure buck at any cost to human and animal life and the biggest profits possible!