Oil Production in the Gulf of Mexico is Limited for the Sake of Whales
Washington is reducing the area for issuing new oil production licenses in the Gulf of Mexico to save marine mammals
The US federal government has reduced the area that will be offered in the next oil and gas lease sale in the Gulf of Mexico by 9%. The reason is to preserve the habitat for a rare species of whales.
In accordance with the new rules, 67 million acres will be provided for the auction instead of the expected 73.4 million.
The American Petroleum Institute (API) has already criticized such changes. “The Biden administration continues to create more and more barriers to the nation’s oil industry by prioritizing its campaign promise to halt oil and gas development in federal waters over its obligation to meet Americans’ energy needs,” API analysts said.
In effect, Biden is shutting down 10 million acres of exploration in the Gulf of Mexico and restricting dozens of ships that serve the country’s oil and gas industries in the region.
By the way, not only analysts from API are dissatisfied. The National Oceanic Industries Association says, “The Gulf of Mexico is a vital source of reliable, affordable, and environmentally responsible energy that is critical to the well-being of the United States.”
Well, responsibility for energy well-being is not Biden’s concern, he has other goals.
