- President Obama uses existing federal law to soak up more state property so he can “protect” it from oil and gas exploration, further hampering the local and national economies and depriving millions of a better life
By Derek Sun
With all of the national and state parks that contain millions of acres of land, one would think that there is not much need to still preserve even more land and prevent fuel extraction. However, the Obama administration thinks in mysterious ways, and insists on setting aside 12 million acres of land in Alaska, depriving us of the opportunity to use the oil and avoid importing foreign fuel.
There are up to 42 billion barrels of oil contained on this area of land, and this is just the latest step in Barack Obama’s series of efforts to ruin the American fossil fuel economy and consequently pulling us back to the days of high gas prices and supporting hostile foreign regimes by purchasing their oil and gas. Russia, Venezuela, and Saudi Arabia are undoubtedly gleeful to see that America is restricting itself from exploring its own fuel reserves and paying them money for their fuel.
Even while the federal government currently owns over half of the total land in the western states, there are proposals to expand government ownership of land and water. The Obama administration has declared that it will set aside 226 million acres of ocean off Alaska’s coastline, an area twice the size of California, to protect the Arctic ringed seals, which are not endangered but are threatened and, environmentalists claim, in need of official protection. The outer continental shelf of Alaska contains approximately 27 billion barrels of oil and 132 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in untapped condition.
From his first presidential campaign in 2008, Obama has made no effort to hide his unwillingness to make use of America’s abundant fuel deposits, instead investing in unreliable solar and wind energy initiatives and doing business with undemocratic fuel-producing nations. The actions Obama has taken as president on energy policy reveal a concerted campaign of waging war on energy independence of the United States.
As a senator and presidential candidate, Obama was very reluctant to approve offshore drilling projects. In 2011, the US Forest Service unsuccessfully attempted to ban fracking in the George Washington National Forest in Virginia, further burdening the American energy industry with unnecessary limits.
Obama dawdled for several years in giving a response to Canada about whether or not to approve the Keystone XL pipeline. This project would facilitate transportation of oil from Canada to America and bring new jobs, but Obama vetoed it in February, disappointing many Americans and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
Due to one oil spill in 2010, all oil drilling is now banned in the Gulf of Mexico, and Obama has approved only 15 leases for offshore drilling, making Jimmy Carter, who approved 36 offshore drilling leases, seem friendly to the American economy by comparison.
These actions have forced many small businesses in the Gulf region to close or downsize, but none of these problems appear to attract the federal government’s concern. In the last two years, the Obama administration has announced new restrictions on fracking and coal mining, expressing opposition to every fossil fuel in existence and coddling little-known alternative fuels.
Under the Antiquities Act of 1906, the federal government can arbitrarily seize land and prevent use of it. Federal government land control and acquisition takes away opportunities for development, and jeopardizes energy security and economic growth. The recent months have brought very welcome cheap gasoline prices for Americans, thanks to the booming oil drilling industry in North Dakota and the use of energy reserves located on American soil.
The Obama administration is determined to do away with all of these improvements and commit the country to pointless preservation of land that will cripple our economy and strengthen our enemies. As long as environmentalists are satisfied at fulfilling empty goals, the Obama administration reasons, it doesn’t how Americans will cope.
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