This Date in History: Obama Imposes Job-Destroying Drilling Moratorium
Rob Bluey /
One year ago today President Obama imposed a moratorium on offshore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. It banned shallow-water and deepwater operations, setting the stage for a year of delays in permitting. Now a U.S. senator wants to put a moratorium on federal agencies.
Sen. David Vitter (D-La.), an outspoken critic of the administration’s anti-drilling policies, introduced the Agency Overreach Moratorium Act, which would require congressional approval for federal regulations that restrict energy exploration on federal lands and offshore.
Vitter said the legislation would expand domestic energy resources and produce much-needed revenue for the federal treasury at a time of skyrocketing deficits.