Obama Announces Plans for Offshore Drilling

During an appearance at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland today, President Obama discussed plans to “open vast expanses of American coastlines to oil and natural gas drilling.” His plan would open up drilling “along the Atlantic coastline, the eastern Gulf of Mexico and the north coast of Alaska.”

The new areas would be open to drilling “only after the completion of geologic studies, environmental impact statements, court challenges and public lease sales.” There is a chance that studies will prove the cost of drilling too expensive to take seriously and President Obama stressed that offshore drilling is one small part of a broader strategy to develop alternative sources of energy and wean the United States from dependency on foreign oil.

Read the full New York Times article here.

Read responses on CNN here.

And responses posted by Reuters here.

And don't forget:

Join us for tonight's screening of End of the Line, a documentary about the impact of overfishing on our oceans. The event - co-sponsored by GreenEdge Collaborative NYC - will take place on Wednesday, March 31st, 6:30 - 10:00 p.m @ Green Spaces (394 Broadway, 5th Floor). $10 suggested donation to benefit the Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance.