Results tagged “offshore energy development”

In a Tallahassee Democrat op-ed published this week, the Florida Petroleum Council's Dave Mica challenges recent inaccurate claims that oil and natural gas jobs are declining and production off Florida's coast will harm the tourism industry.

Today, the preliminary results of Central Gulf Lease Sale 213, held in New Orleans, were announced. 

The sale received 642 bids on 468 leases--34 percent higher than last year's Central Gulf Lease Sale 208--and garnered $949 million in high bids, up from $703 million in last year's sale.

An op-ed published in Sunday's Richmond Times-Dispatch illustrates the support for Virginia's offshore drilling plan.

Titled "Energy in Virginia: An Easy Decision for Obama," the op-ed is authored jointly by Brett Vassey, president and CEO of the Virginia Manufacturers Association, and Mike Ward, executive director of the Virginia Petroleum Council.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar says a new 2012-2017 Five-Year Plan providing a framework for offshore drilling will be released later this month. He made the announcement yesterday while testifying before a Senate panel on the department's proposed 2011 budget.

Offshore drilling will be on the agenda when Florida's annual legislative session begins tomorrow. No legislation has been introduced yet, but AP reports that resolutions have been introduced to lift drilling bans in federal waters near Florida's coastline.

Bruce Allen, a physicist from Santa Barbara, California, is a man on a mission. As co-founder of SOS California (Stop Oil Seeps California), he came to Washington this week to deliver a message that he believes could change the debate over offshore energy development.

The Commonwealth of Virginia has signaled that it's ready for offshore energy development.

This week the state Senate passed a proposal that provides a roadmap for the allocation of offshore energy royalties and revenues, devoting 70 percent to transportation, 20 percent to alternative energy research and 10 percent to local governments.

API is closed today due to the weather. The heavy snowfall has made travel - including commuting - to and from the nation's capital extremely difficult and even dangerous. Today, I'm working from a remote location where I have heat, electricity and connectivity, making me much more fortunate than many of my colleagues who live in areas with downed trees and power lines.

Breaking from his predecessor, Virginia's Governor-elect Bob McDonnell sent a letter to Interior Secretary Salazar, asking the administration to move forward with a scheduled offshore lease sale in 2011. McDonnell says "offshore energy exploration and production will be a priority" during his four-year term as governor. The Commonwealth's current Gov. Tim Kaine sought to delay the lease sale.

We've discussed many times on this blog how increased access to oil and natural gas resources would benefit our nation's economy. We've also mentioned that while producing this energy both on-and-offshore, companies are committed to environmentally responsible development.

Yesterday, the Heritage Foundation released a new analysis about both abovementioned points: how offshore energy production benefits the economy and the environment. The paper's author is Bruce Allen, co-founder of SOS California, an environmental and energy non-profit based in Santa Barbara.