Gibbs: accident doesn't change position on drilling

[Enrique]

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703709804575202320324530444.html?mod=WSJ_latestheadlines

(...)

Asked Friday whether Mr. Obama had second thoughts on offshore drilling, Mr. Gibbs said, "No." He added: "We need the increased production. The president still continues to believe the great majority of that can be done safely, securely and without any harm to the environment."

Mr. Gibbs's remarks came as longtime skeptics of offshore drilling in Mr. Obama's party suggested the accident merits increased congressional scrutiny of the oil industry's safety record. Late Thursday, Sen. Bill Nelson (D., Fla.) asked the U.S. Interior Department to investigate and then provide a "comprehensive" report on all U.S. drilling accidents over at least the last decade. Separately, New Jersey Democratic Sens. Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez said the accident underscored the need to abandon the "rush" to expand coastline drilling.

"We're not going to let drilling occur anywhere close to Florida," Mr. Nelson said in an interview Friday. He said this week's accident "drives a stake into heart" of legislation pending in the Senate to open areas of the eastern Gulf of Mexico to oil and natural-gas production.

(...)

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

1. This will be a story when new offshore wells are dug.

It's meaningless until then.

[Enrique]

5. it might prevent those wells from being dug

drilling opponents will point to this accident to make their case. For example the quotes in the story.

[DebbieCDC]

2. It was a stupid position to begin with and it's even more stupid now

[IndianaGreen]

3. This WH will not admit they made an error, anymore than the previous WH

Drill, baby, drill and damn the oil spills!

[texastoast]

4. Let's send the oil spill to the White House

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4354851


:grr:

[Name removed]

6. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[polichick]

7. Lame decision, lame response. nt

[ShadowLiberal]

8. The problem here is BP, they've owned all the oil rigs/etc that have had accidents lately

BP is a horrible company that has proven time and time again that they'll make cuts in safety in order to increase profits. I mean remember Texas City? That was also owned by BP, and that was just a disaster waiting to happen.

The government ought to step in and force BP to take safety more seriously and get all their refineries and oil platforms safety certified. The difference of planning to make it safe, and not can be HUGE, it can be the difference from half the people in the building dying, to only a couple right next to the danger zone getting hurt and possibly dying.

[AllentownJake]

9. Gas prices are going up on demand projections

The oil drilling is called covering your ass from a political issue during an election year.

[TheKentuckian]

10. How pander-iffic!!!!

You know policy is straight up stankass when the best affirmative positions are "it's never going to happen, it's just slick politics", "Don't say a word if you use power or plastics", and last and least "We gotta get some skin in the game, others are fucking the environment up and we should too closer to home, you don't want to be NIMBY-ite".

[Vinca]

11. It should change the position on drilling. What kind of savings

on energy do you get when natural habitats are ruined and it takes billions to clean up the mess?

[tekisui]

12. Boo.

:thumbsdown:

We don't need increased production, we need decreased consumption.

[Kdillard]

13. Obama needs to reconsider.

[art of compromise]

14. Changed his mind.

[bigwillq]

15. Hello

Welcome to DU! :hi:

[art of compromise]

19. Hi. Thanks.

[freddie mertz]

16. Clueless in Washington.

What the F is wrong with them?

[amborin]

17. i didn't realize I was voting for palin's policies

[freddie mertz]

18. You weren't supposed to notice.

Everything is better now...better now...better now....

[babylonsister]

23. Awww. Don't you read DU? This article is from a week ago.

Different tacts are being taken; he's had press conferences, and remarks are all over the place if you're really interested.

[flpoljunkie]

20. RFK Jr. said all our offshore oil would amount to less than what we use in one year-7 billion gals.!

Is it really worth it? And is this concession really necessary to get a climate change/energy bill through or corrupted Congress?

[Blue_In_AK]

21. It doesn't matter if "the great majority" can be done safely.

It's the minority, i.e., the accidents, that cause the problems. And there WILL be more accidents. We are human, we are not perfect.

[babylonsister]

22. This Article Is From A Week Ago. Nice try naysayers. nt