The Obama administration’s deepwater permitorium is killing American jobs. Earlier this month, Michael Bromwich, director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement, laid out how the permitorium could be lifted:
“The most critical missing piece in the process of approving applications for permits to drill in deepwater is the demonstration of well control and subsea containment capability. Therefore, I ask that you provide a detailed update as to when your proposed containment systems will be operational.”
Well today, a group of oil companies delivered:
A group of oil companies led by Exxon said Thursday it has built a system that can stop an undersea oil spill within weeks, a critical step towards resuming drilling in the deepest parts of the Gulf of Mexico.
The Marine Well Containment Co. announced Thursday that it has cobbled together enough equipment and support vessels to contain a spill similar to BP’s massive gusher, which took 85 days to plug. Some of the equipment was used by BP in its containment efforts.
The administration needs to stop flouting the courts, process the new data and hold up its end of the deal. It’s time to end the permitorium and get Gulf drilling going again. It’ll help small business owners like Thomas Clements. And the Heritage Foundation’s Rob Bluey found royalties from increased Gulf drilling would raise more money than proposed fees on oil companies. More drilling makes more fiscal sense.
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