To drill or not to drill? Obama’s offshore drilling dilemma

The document criticizes the Obama administration's 2017-2022 planning process for offshore oil and gas exploration, arguing that such activities contradict climate goals and threaten marine ecosystems. It highlights the potential for 60 billion tons of carbon dioxide emissions from undiscovered reserves and the risk to marine mammals from seismic surveys. The author calls for a total moratorium on new offshore leasing to ensure the transition to low-carbon energy and to avoid the economic and environmental risks associated with oil spills.

• The development of estimated undiscovered offshore reserves of 90 billion barrels of oil and 400 trillion cubic feet of natural gas would release over 60 billion tons of carbon dioxide emissions, which would offset approximately 1-2 billion tons of carbon dioxide saved by EPA power plant and vehicle rules.
• Seismic surveys using air guns for oil and gas exploration in the Mid- and South-Atlantic Planning Areas (from Delaware to Florida) could result in the death of 138,200 marine mammals by 2020, with blasts reaching up to 250 decibels.
• The author asserts that to stabilize the global climate at or below 2 degrees Celsius, at least two-thirds of the world's remaining hydrocarbon reserves must remain in the ground.
• Offshore drilling is presented as economically unwise because it does not lower gas prices and risks costing coastal communities millions through damaged beaches, impaired fisheries, and reduced tourism, citing the long-term impacts of the Exxon Valdez and BP Deepwater Horizon spills.
• The document claims that oil and gas companies lack adequate oil spill contingency plans and that the 2011 National Oil Spill Commission's safety recommendations have not been implemented, citing Shell Oil's failed 2013 and 2014 Arctic drilling plans as evidence of lack of preparedness.

APA

Fox, A. (2014). To drill or not to drill? Obama’s offshore drilling dilemma. Friends of the Earth. https://foe.org/blog/2014-07-to-drill-or-not-to-drill-obamas-offshore-drilling-di/

Chicago

Fox, Audrey. To drill or not to drill? Obama’s offshore drilling dilemma. Friends of the Earth, 2014. https://foe.org/blog/2014-07-to-drill-or-not-to-drill-obamas-offshore-drilling-di/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Fox |first1=Audrey |title=To drill or not to drill? Obama’s offshore drilling dilemma |publisher=Friends of the Earth |date=24 July 2014 |url=https://foe.org/blog/2014-07-to-drill-or-not-to-drill-obamas-offshore-drilling-di/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{fox2014drill, author = {Fox, Audrey}, title = {{To drill or not to drill? Obama’s offshore drilling dilemma}}, publisher = {Friends of the Earth}, year = {2014}, month = jul, url = {https://foe.org/blog/2014-07-to-drill-or-not-to-drill-obamas-offshore-drilling-di/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }