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

A statement by Friends of the Earth urging President Obama to implement a moratorium on all new offshore oil and gas leasing and drilling on the Outer Continental Shelf to prevent climate disruption and protect marine wildlife.

• The Obama administration is initiating the 2017-2022 planning process for offshore oil and gas exploration and drilling on the Outer Continental Shelf, which Friends of the Earth argues contradicts the administration's pledge to reduce domestic greenhouse gas emissions.
• Developing estimated undiscovered reserves of 90 billion barrels of oil and 400 trillion cubic feet of natural gas would release over 60 billion tons of carbon dioxide, a volume of emissions comparable to the climate impacts of the Keystone XL pipeline.
• Seismic surveys using air guns, which can reach 250 decibels, are used for offshore exploration and are known to kill and injure marine wildlife. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management estimated that such surveying in the Mid- and South-Atlantic Planning Areas could result in the death of 138,200 marine mammals by 2020.
• The document asserts that oil and gas companies lack adequate oil spill contingency plans and that safety recommendations from the 2011 National Oil Spill Commission have not been implemented. It cites Shell Oil's cancellation of 2013 and 2014 Arctic drilling plans as evidence of a lack of preparedness.
• Offshore drilling is described as economically unwise because it does not lower gas prices and can cause millions in losses for coastal communities through damaged beaches, impaired fisheries, and reduced tourism.

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} }