Government Speeds Permitting for Wind Farms as Gulf Drilling Continues to Lag
Camilo Rodriguez /
Just one day after meeting with the oil and gas industry in Houma, La., last week, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar unveiled the Obama administration’s “Smart from the Start” initiative to speed up the permitting process. Only this wasn’t permitting for offshore oil drilling, but wind farms off of the East Coast.
“To fully harness the economic and energy benefits of our nation’s vast Atlantic wind potential,” Salazar said, “we need to implement a smart permitting process that is efficient, thorough, and unburdened by needless red tape.”
If only Salazar would apply this regulatory philosophy to offshore drilling, then perhaps the Gulf Coast region’s economy could begin to recover.
Just one new deepwater drilling permit has been approved since the administration’s drilling moratorium was lifted in October — a sharp decline compared to one year ago.