Gulf Oil Drilling Moratorium...

Revisited
The very first article I wrote for CIF was called Why does Delegate Donna Christensen want to raise our cost of living? In that piece, I contended that there would be a long term negative impact to our pocketbooks as a result of her shortsighted, politically motivated vote in the House Natural Resources Committee. At the time, I was also a candidate for delegate to congress. Now, I ask you, whatever your political leanings: Has that vote to ban drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, cast by our delegate, helped or hurt Americans in general & Virgin Islanders in particular? Heres an excerpt from that Human Events article I referenced back then: In a stunning turn of events... a five-vote bloc of U.S. non-voting territorial delegates were the deciding votes blocking an amendment to kill the Obama administrations moratorium on offshore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. Since then domestic oil production has suffered a significant decline in the wake of that moratorium. The Department of the Interior implemented the moratorium, disregarding 2 rulings striking it down by a US District Judge in New Orleans. The Interior Departments regulators acted with determined disregard according to Judge Martin Feldman, and in contempt of legal court orders. Each step the government took following the courts imposition of a preliminary injunction showcases its defiance, Feldman said in the ruling. Such dismissive conduct, viewed in tandem with the reimposition of a second blanket and substantively identical moratorium, and in light of the national importance of this case, provide this court with clear and convincing evidence of the governments contempt, Feldman said. Feldman struck down the ban initially because it was too broad, he later ruled that enhanced drilling safety rules imposed by the Interior Department to permit companies to resume offshore exploration violated federal law, and he struck down those as well. Administration regulators continued to block the resumption of drilling even after Feldmans rulings. So much for the rule of law. Experts say that in four to five years, the loss of several hundred thousand barrels a day from the Gulf is enough to significantly boost U.S. reliance on imported oil. Imported oil controlled, in large part, by unstable countries. The administration has chosen to extend the ban on deepwater drilling to the year 2017. How have these decisions & events impacted Virgin Islanders wallets? Our economy is very oil dependent. We see it when we buy gas for vehicles, when we pay the LEAC & we see it in the cost of logistics, shipping & transportation of all types which is the lifeline of our territory. Someone has to transport that precious milk to the grocery store & we get to pay not just for the milk, but the cost to get it on the shelves. The reality is that our economy, locally & nationally, depends on oil production & three quarters of the Gulfs reserves lie in deep water. There are other domestic sources of oil, like ANWAR in Alaska & oil shale in the Western states, but they face similar regulatory obstacles. In the meantime, lots of people are out of work, both in the the oil industry here & in the Gulf States.

Gulf Oil Drilling Moratorium... Revisited

Has anyone asked our delegate what the rationale for her vote was? Did she think it through? How did the Virgin Islands benefit as a result of the vote she cast to essentially raise our cost of living? Was it for the children? Hmmm.... Now some of you may simply choose to sidestep those questions & attack me for even raising the issue as a former political opponent. Perhaps youll attack CIF for allowing a differing political point of view from the conventional wisdom. Fair enough, but whatever you choose to do, the central question remains... Did the Virgin Islands benefit from that vote Donna cast? If so, how? Please explain & enlighten me? Perhaps those rising prices are a figment of my imagination. Last time I looked, gas prices were at the $4.00 per gallon level in St Thomas. Have the oil companies suffered? British Petroleums stock price continues a strong recovery from its Deepwater Horizon disaster lows. Less than half the producing rigs working in the Gulf of Mexico prior to the BP spill remain. Large operators have left the Gulf for deepwater projects off of Brazil and West Africa. Our President claims to have lifted the Gulf moratorium, yet not a single deepwater permit has been issued in over nine months. Maybe its just me, but isnt the government, like any citizen, is supposed to obey court rulings, even if it disagrees with it? No federal, state, nor local government is at liberty to impose its own will after a court issues its ruling on any policy. Oops, I forgot... doesnt apply to Democrats. Cast your emotions aside for a bit, rub some of those brains cells together & perform some logical, critical thinking. While we pay the higher energy bills, perhaps we should ask our delegate about her thoughts on that moratorium decision and the rule of law. Aw heck, I forgot, shes a Democrat, so she gets a pass & is excused. All she has to do is lay low until the next election cycle because we all have short memories & shes a nice lady. The beatings shall continue until morale improves! vince danet