Why does Ken Salazar hate our economy? Update: Western Energy Alliance calls for reinstating oil leases
Loathsome cowboy.
When last we visited with the Interior Department’s Job Destroyer-in-Chief, he was shoving his newly “revised” offshore drilling moratorium down America’s throat.
Today, let’s talk about what he’s doing in Utah to screw over onshore development and the economy.
Last week, Salazar defended pulling 77 oil leases granted in the final days of the Bush administration. Salazar’s inspector general concluded that there was no evidence of any rush to auction off the parcels– as baselessly claimed by environmental groups and Salazar himself. In fact, the leases were granted only after seven full years of rigorous study and debate. (Read the pdf of the report here.)
That makes two Salazar job-destroying bans based off bogus eco-claims. Uintah County UT officials have sued the Interior Department over the rescinded leases, which have cost the state untold millions of dollars and countless jobs in a tough economy. The Deseret News in Utah blasts the reckless consquences of Team Obama’s eco-pandering:
An Associated Press report last year estimated the federal government was holding nearly $100 million that has been paid for energy leases in the Rocky Mountains that are being delayed for one reason or another. Most are the subject of environmental protests or lawsuits, which seem to be filed as a matter of course. While Salazar at least returned the money that was paid for the 77 leases he rescinded, one would think an administration concerned about jobs in a tough economy would do more to speed up a process that could stimulate local economies as it eased the nation’s energy needs.
As Investor’s Business Daily points out, the onshore ban also gives lie to another Obama administration assertion:
As the job-killing deepwater drilling ban continues offshore, our interior secretary defends an onshore ban imposed in Utah. If we could drill in places like that, maybe oil wouldn’t be gushing a mile under the Gulf of Mexico.
The 64-million-gallon question in the Gulf oil spill is why we were drilling 5,000 feet down in the first place. The administration line, as expressed by the president in his recent Oval Office speech, is that oil resources on land and just offshore are running out. The falsity of that claim can be seen in the battle over 77 oil leases in Utah.
IBD notes that Salazar also halted plans to lease oil shale rights in five Western states “estimated to hold between 1 trillion and 2 trillion (with a ‘t’) barrels of recoverable oil.” These shale resources remain untapped thanks to militant greenies who pay lip service to energy independence while blocking all means of achieving it.
Wyoming is also victim to Obama foot-dragging:
More than $100 million worth of unissued oil and gas leases may finally get acted upon by the Bureau of Land Management. The federal agency said this week that it will soon decide whether the first of the leases across the West will be handed over to drilling companies.
The latest announcement was met with cautious optimism by industry groups because they’ve heard it before. The BLM said last August and again in April that the backlogged leases were about to be issued, according to the Western Energy Alliance.
The backlog has become so pronounced that Wyoming Gov. Freudenthal wrote a letter to Interior Secretary Salazar earlier this year urging action.
BLM Director Bob Abbey said in an interview Wednesday that the BLM will begin making decisions on backlogged federal leases in Wyoming by the end of July.
Salazar continues to undermine transparency. Remember: He has refused to cooperate with public records requests from Congress regarding his post-BP spill decisions. The Deseret News editorial board in Utah also raised concern about how Salazar handled the Interior Department IG’s oil lease report:
An independent investigation conducted by Interior’s Office of Inspector General, belatedly released last week, says that, essentially, is a bunch of hogwash. No evidence exists to support Salazar’s contention. In fact, the leases were auctioned after seven years of rigorous study, and no one applied any pressure to get it done before a new president took office. If anyone put ideology ahead of study, it apparently was the new administration, not the old.
Also significant is the fact that this latest report was made public only after a Uintah County commissioner was tipped to its contents and filed a request through the federal Freedom of Information Act. It is dated Dec. 28, 2009. The delay was an oversight, according to an Interior Department official. It should be noted that an earlier study conducted by the Department of the Interior, which rubber stamped the secretary’s notion of a “flawed” process, was released without anyone having to ask.
Funny how that works.
***
Update:The Western Energy Alliance calls for reinstating the leases:
(Denver) – Western Energy Alliance (formerly IPAMS) today called on Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar to reinstate 77 leases in Utah in light of a Department of Interior (DOI) report showing that the reasons for canceling the leases were unfounded. Although the report was completed seven months ago, it was only released this week following mounting pressure from local Utah officials and the state’s congressional delegation.
“This report from DOI confirms what we’ve been saying all along,” said Kathleen Sgamma, Western Energy Alliance’s Director of Government Affairs. “The 77 leases were improperly withdrawn. Given that the justifications for the withdrawal are incorrect, we hope the Interior Secretary will reinstate these leases and award them to companies who legitimately purchased them at the lease sale.
Contrary to previous DOI claims, the report from the Interior Inspector General confirms that there was nothing nefarious about the lease sale and nothing about the seven year process that preceded the sale was “last minute” or “rushed.” Furthermore, as detailed in the report, all controversial leases near national parks were pulled from the lease sale by BLM after reaching consensus with the National Park Service (NPS).
“This week the House Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands will hold a hearing on ‘Creating Rural Jobs with America’s Public Lands’, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is holding a Jobs for America Summit. Secretary Salazar could take immediate steps to create energy jobs by reinstating the leases and taking other measures to enable western producers to develop the clean American energy on federal lands that our nation needs to survive,” concluded Sgamma.
Click here to view the Inspector General’s report
Reason Salazar gave for cancelling leases:
“In its last weeks in office, the Bush Administration rushed ahead to sell oil and gas leases at the doorstep of some of our nation’s most treasured landscapes in Utah,” said Secretary Salazar.[1]
What Salazar’s own Inspector General found to be true:
“Moreover, the emails confirmed that updating the RMPs had been an ongoing process for over seven years and that Sierra set June 2008 as the initial target deadline for completion.”
Reason Salazar gave for cancelling leases:
The 77 parcels, which total about 103,225 acres, are all in the vicinity of two National Parks and Dinosaur National Monument.”[2]
What Salazar’s own Inspector General found to be true:
“ The meetings at the field level eventually led to a November 24, 2008 meeting between [Mike] Snyder [Regional Director, Intermountain Region, National Park Service], [Selma] Sierra, [Utah BLM State Director], [Jeff] Rawson, [Associate Utah State Director] and other NPS and BLM personnel. This meeting resulted in a consensus between BLM and NPS concerning what parcels would be deferred from the lease sale and what stipulations and conditions would be placed on included parcels.
Background and Key Facts as confirmed by the DOI report:
* The National Park Service agreed to the leases sold at the December 2008 sale. Prior to the sale, BLM removed 109 parcels of 195,515 acres from the sale in coordination with NPS. BLM removed all parcels adjacent to national parks, leaving only one adjacent to a national monument. With one exception, parcels were miles away from parks, and most tens of miles away.
* Western Energy Alliance has maintained all along that Secretary Salazar’s decision to withdraw the 77 leases and subsequent rhetoric about the decision demonstrate an unfortunate lack of regard for the seven-year public planning process that produced the RMPs upon which the December 2008 lease sale was based.
* The December 2008 lease sale was the result of a comprehensive, seven-year public land management planning process in which everyone – environmental groups, the National Park Service, EPA, other federal and state agencies, and the general public – had ample opportunity to participate.
* The State of Utah, Tribes, federal agencies, local governments, and many citizens who enjoy or depend on these public lands invested seven years of time and resources into the planning process.
* The RMPs appropriately represent a balance of multiple uses from all segments of society and government, not just the single interest of conservation. No new acreage was opened to leasing that was not available under the Clinton Administration, and no lands have fewer environmental protections than before.
* In a letter to Mike Snyder , NPS Regional Director following two days of collaboration between BLM and NPS, Utah State Director Selma Sierra agreed to defer all parcels of concern to the Park Service from the sale and implement additional environmental protections on others, leaving only 132 parcels actually offered for sale to which NPS did not object. [3] Until now, this fact has been overlooked by DOI, including in the report from Deputy Secretary David Hayes that criticized BLM for failing to coordinate with NPS. [4]
* The IG Report includes information on the coordination, citing comments from Mike Snyder, Regional Director, Intermountain Region, National Park Service and Selma Sierra, Utah BLM State Director. The Park Service agreed to the remaining parcels.
[1] Department of the Interior Press Release Secretary Salazar Restores Balance in Controversial Last-Minute Oil and Gas Lease Sale near Utah National Parks, dated February 4, 2009.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Memo to Regional Director, Intermountain Region, National Park Service, from Director, Utah State Office, BLM, dated November 25, 2009, regarding Discussions and Agreements Regarding December 19, 2008 Competitive Oil and Gas Lease Sale of Lands Proximal to Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park and Dinosaur National Monument. http://www.blm.gov/pgdata/etc/medialib/blm/ut/lands_and_minerals/oil_and_gas/december_2008.Par.50809.File.dat/NPS%20letter%2011-25-08%20M.pdf
[4] Report to Secretary Ken Salazar Regarding the Potential Leasing of 77 Parcels in Utah dated June 11, 2009. http://www.doi.gov/utahreport/
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Ans: Because he is a card carrying socialist and green zealot like his boss.
Has the term “civil disobedience” ever occurred to the so-called leaders in these states? Tell the flippin’ feds to pack sand and do what you have to do for your state’s economy.
Kwik Kenny needs to go.
To jail!
hmmm another Republican state getting bent over by the Obama administration?
aside from the gulf states lets not forget the flooding in Tennessee and Kentucky this spring.
and the power outages in Oklahoma this winter
By the way, I know the answer to my statement is “But onefed, it’s much more complicated than telling the feds to pack sand and just doing it. There are legal issues, etc. etc.”
Yes, yes, I know. The Ruling Class has made it nice and complicated, haven’t they? And we, as a whole, fall right in line.
There are more slaves to a system now than there ever was in 1860.
Actually, it is just that simple.
Gandhi said that when we withdraw support for government, it ceases to have power.
You noticed that, too? I’ll bet the crash and burn media hasn’t. You’d think they would want sensational headlines to boost viewership/readership, but…no. Just tow the socialist line, lie about what Obrainless does, and make sure he gets re-elected.
And now there is proof that this is exactly what the LSM did.
http://dailycaller.com/2010/07/20/documents-show-media-plotting-to-kill-stories-about-rev-jeremiah-wright/
I’m right there with ya Rags.
Salazar is what you get when you combine power, a bottomless pocketbook, incompetence, flawed thinking, and utopian fantasy…and, your heritage screams for payback.
The Utopian Fantasy at work is that if fossil based energy prices ‘necessarily skyrocket’, then the masses will be ‘nudged’ into using unicorn farts as an alternative.
How many times must it be pointed out that Obama intends to fundamentally transform America in part by destroying the hydrocarbon based energy and economy?
How many times must people be reminded before they will believe it?
Rags…I am with you. Starve the Beast. However, the cooperation of millions is needed to make it work. Otherwise, you will just have a few people in a futile effort. How can this be made to work without finding a horse head in my bed?
scrappy;
I don’t know the critical number, and I have allowed this idea to lay fallow for some time, watching events. I wonder if it would really take “millions”.
As you know, people situated as are you and Mr. Scrappy would be very hard-put to be directly involved. But, as you also know, you could be in the support troops in the campaign.
I don’t feel the time for this kind of action is ripe, which is just my gut. I have hope it will not be required, but I think that hangs on a knife edge.
My little offering of the day…
Abe Lincoln would filibuster Kagan.
Now to work…
Salazar: We’re all out of oil, got plenty of wind though! (cue fart noises)
It’s too bad that he’s not able to shut down jobs in the states that elect Democrats. Only the red states are getting the shaft by the Marxist in Chief’s administration.
Maybe it’s time for Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi to develop problems with fuel distribution to the northeast. Let’s see how the Democrat voting eco-zealots do without fuel for a week or so.
If you:
a. Work for an energy or manufacturing company
b. Voted for Obama
There is no easy way to say this. You are an idiot. You should have seen this coming 100 miles away.
Hmmm… can $5, $6, $7 gas prices be too far behind? As gas prices skyrocket, I assume that federal taxes also rise proportionally. Demand will temporarily wane but will eventually increase to a point of stability. By that time, $7 gas will be the norm and everybody gets what they want (eco-zealots get more people on public transportation but politicians get the same amount of $$ in tax revenues)…
Simply part of the Obambi & Company plan to destroy the country. They are not operating as misguided, well intentioned public officials. They are the enemy in the company of every Democrat and the entire main stream media. Folks, we are in trouble.
I have a friend, from Canada originally, who has worked for a major oil field services company for 30+ years.
He was an Obama supporter.
He was handed a severance package this last week, which is better than a lot of his fellows got.
Salazar is like any cabinet member. He cannot go to the restroom without permission from his boss. So this post should be:
Why does President Obama hate our economy?
He’s calling the shots.
Those of us who have spent a number of years in the West know all about Ken Salazar. He’s a tool, pure and simple. Isn’t it obvious the Obama administration wants to lock up every conceivable source of energy in this country and keep it under its control? And then they’ll take over the companies that extract the coal/oil/whatever, and then go after the companies that distribute it. After all, what a natural expectation? Take over the industry to protect us from our enemies, right? Control the grid in the name of national security. Socialize the whole country in the name of progressive utopia.
The left has been talking about us this way for ages:
That stuff works. It’s about time we started using it too.
Bullseye!!
And idiots such as Salazar and Obama are asking where the jobs went! You daily send your minions out to reek havoc on the greedy crooked businesses like banking, energy, automotive, and healthcare insurance, while writing regs to assure a FAIR redistribution of wealth that makes the rich head for the hills and you wonder where are the jobs? This is why communism ALWAYS FAILS. You kill the producers, and reward the parasites, and wonder why your economy is growing parasites but losing productivity.
Since the ultimate goal is “Destroy America“, the easiest way to finish crushing the American economy is to drive up the price of energy. It’s very simple.
Driving [American] deep-water offshore drilling into extinction is just a variation of the same, “We’ll make it bankrupt you to open a coal plant” mentality that Hope-a-Dope & Co. were talking about during the 2008 campaign.
At least in this perverse sense, these people are finally living up to their promises.
You can’t “rebuild” America into a totalitarian, collectivist Utopia until you burn and tear all its existing economic, social and political underpinnings down to the ground. The opportunity here to put the torch to our use of fossil fuels is, to these people, too great to pass up.
Who among you has any idea what permanent damage the oil spill is causing? Who among you has any idea how safe future drilling will be? How can you possibly worry about a few jobs in 2010 to extract oil that will run out in less than a century, when we may be doing damage we cannot even imagine that will last a thousand years?
Deserves nothing more in reply than, “Oh, shut up.”
Good gawd, what an idiot!!!
How safe will future drilling be? Safer than ever, because very hard-working people of great ability spend their lives making it so.
We have no idea, really, how much oil is in reserve. According to “known reserves” in any given decade, we ran out of oil in the next decade or two.
Damage lasting 1000 years? Are you SERIOUSLY that stupid AND ignorant?!?!?
Petroleum exists as a NATURAL product. It has made its way to the Earth’s surface since 1000s of years ago.
Thanks, Rags. I will sit tight and keep in touch with the issue. Will also check your website for updates. And I will do whatever is in my power to help
Personally, I don’t find windmills and solar panels any more attractive than oil derricks. But on the energy production side, they are much less efficient. So what’s the point of having windmills and solar panels strewn all over the countryside if they can’t produce enough power? It’s almost as dumb as forcing us to burn our food in internal combustion engines. Clearly the government is involved. The free market couldn’t possibly be that stupid.
If I have oversimplified things, somebody please let me know.
1) Me.– Answer: None
2) Me.– Answer: Very safe, especially if the MMS & EPA are not involved.
Next question? YAWN……….
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/19/mystery-for-white-house-where-did-the-jobs-go/
Hmmm….
Maybe, when searching for those jobs they can’t understand…hiding where they know not, they should look over in Kwik Kenny’s direction…
And in the direction of THE ONE…just follow the cameras…
hahahahahahahahahahahaha. Thanks for the dumbest post of the year.
Yes, Rags, sadly yes.
Salazar’s incompetence (along with Obama’s other appointees) verges on the criminal. In any other profession they would either be fired immediately and/or lose their professional license.
BTW Red State Skeptic,
1. Who knows when the next jet is going to crash? Guess we should ground all airplanes until a prophet can accurately predict it.
2. Who knows what damage would be caused if an earthquake had ripped a fissure open on the ocean floor and emitted 1000 times the amount of oil the current leak has spewed out?
3. Who knows that if frogs had wings would they still bump their butts when they jumped?
4. Who knows how much hot air you expel each time you pontificate and the damage it does to the ozone.
Your questions would be better off being discussed in a philosophy class at a liberal college then on a conservative blog. At least you’d be arguing with like minded liberal idiots.
Hmm. Very interensting discussion: What must take place for the house of Obama to fall in Utah? There are so many solutions that this result almost seems inevitable.
1. Any large company with the equipment to develop this land could decide to start developing it. This move would provide local employment, improve local economy and any local politician would be effectively barred from interference.
2. State government could issue a directive to companies that these leases are valid and they can begin local development operations: once people are working, it will become a juggernaut too big for anyone to stop.
3. The Congress, once in Republican hands, could question Salazar’s motives and usher in the above scenario.
4. A court could review Salazar’s flawed directive and deem it illegal; a similar situation took place with the off shore drilling moratorium.
.
.
.
Essentially all that is needed is action, and to quote Churchill: “All we have to fear is fear itself.”
Rags, I don’t want to belittle your friend’s personal situation, for a job loss really isn’t funny.
But I wonder:
Did his/her boss walk the parking lot and look for the Obama bumper stickers before deciding who to let go?
He’s also on the brink and probably knows it, so he’ll ramp it up for his master.
Vinny, that was FDR. Churchill said “we shall never surrender.”
Well, my friend, being Canadian and all, would NEVER put a bumper-sticker on his car.
WAY too showy….