I thought perhaps a review was in order.
The Obama proposal permits exploration, meaning that oil companies can pay for expensive seismic surveys but cannot drill. On the basis of such surveys, the Minerals Management Service could eventually open promising tracts for bids by national and international oil companies.
Winners would then apply for permits and wait indefinitely — often years — for authorization to begin drilling, with no guarantee of success.Neither the proposal nor the MMS press release mentions how close to shore exploration could occur. Certainly, the federal government would not intrude on the three-mile strip legally controlled by each maritime state. Within 10 miles, drilling platforms might be visible to beachgoers, but moving the line out to 100 miles would remove the most potentially productive areas from exploration, effectively thwarting the discovery of new oil and gas reserves. Silence regarding the limits for exploration seems ominous.
Equally troubling is the continued exemption of most of Florida's coasts.
http://www.tennessean.com/article/20100420/OPINION03/4200323/1008/OPINION01/U.S.+must+get+serious+about+domestic+oil+production