From the Daily Caller:
Almost 190,000 jobs could be created by 2013 if offshore drilling returns to pre-spill levels, according to a study sponsored by two oil trade groups, the National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) and the American Petroleum Institute (API).
The study, conducted by Quest Offshore Inc., found that if permits for exploration and drilling returned to historic levels, and if backlogged requests were granted, 400,000 jobs could be supported across the United States with a GDP increase of $45 billion by 2013…
Because Obama flies from one screw up to another we tend to forget the older ones – in this case, the absurd “permatorium” he put in place in response to the Gulf oil spill. The chances of a repeat of that particular accident, even if no action was taken, are exceptionally small…and nearly non-existent if a few, common-sense precautions are taken in that sort of drilling (ie, deep water). But Obama, true blue liberal that he is, couldn’t pass up the chance to gut America’s offshore oil industry – and so he imposed his permatorium and simply will not lift it (by hook or by crook, he keeps it in place – just by going slow on new permits he puts a hammer lock on it).
While we are all gleeful at the prospect of using Obama’s speech in Brazil (where he stated he hopes America will become Brazil’s best customer), we really do need to break this log jam. Some means must be found to force Obama to allow us to drill for oil – even if this report is wildly over-optimistic, it would still mean tens of thousands of new, high paying jobs…and jobs which produce actual wealth and which are within reach of regular, blue collar Americans (the American economy can never be a place where we merely write computer programs and shuffle fake money around Wall Street, you know? Someone has to do some actual work). Continual pressure must be applied – and ever legislative effort (including the debt deal) should include a legislative end to Obama’s drilling “permatorium”.
It is time for us to start working in the interests of the American people – and I can’t think of a better “step one” than to start drilling for oil.


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