Bush: Drill Now - Commonwealth Foundation

President Bush will repeal the executive order banning offshore drilling. Of course, the executive order was superseded by a law banning offshore drilling, which Congress will have to repeal. Then it will be up to the states to allow drilling off their costs (Virginia is already moving in this direction).

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin has some interesting comments on the need to open up lands for oil exploration:

It’s a very nonsensical position we’re in right now. We send President Bush and Secretary (of Energy Sam) Bodman overseas to ask the Saudis to ramp up production of crude oil so that hungry markets in America can be fed, (and) your sister state in Alaska has those resources. But these lands are locked up by Congress, and we are not allowed to drill to the degree America needs the development.

There are even bigger sources of crude than ANWR . . . such as offshore areas like the Chukchi Sea and Beaufort Sea. Congress can help us with those areas right now, bringing even more energy than ANWR and bringing it quicker.

We frequently find ourselves at the mercy of those who think that we must be protected from ourselves. Shell is up here wanting to drill offshore, but they’ve been fighting various environmental groups through the 9th Circuit Court and are running into very fierce pushback. In this area, Congress could help us with the development and bring those sources of energy to market quicker than ANWR.