Drill Baby Drill … 72% Support Offshore Drilling, 59% Favor It Off California and New England

Offshore drilling and American energy independence should not come at the cost of another Obama tax.

An overwhelming majority of Americans believe in energy independence and the motto of drill baby drill. A recent Rasmussen poll showed that 71% of voters supported offshore drilling and 59% agreed that the drilling should also take place off the California and New England coats.

Voters support offshore oil drilling more than ever, and most don’t agree with President Obama’s decision to limit where that drilling can be done.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 72% of U.S. voters believe offshore oil drilling should be allowed. Just 12% disagree and oppose such drilling, with another 16% who aren’t sure. This is the highest level of support for drilling found in nearly three years of surveying.

The survey was taken Wednesday and Thursday nights following the president’s announcement permitting new offshore oil and natural gas drilling. But because of political opposition in those states, the president stopped short of allowing drilling off the coasts of California and New England.

Barack Obama just recently stated that he would open up certain areas to offshore drilling; however, as Protein Wisdom states that it is nothing more than a political smokescreen, “Obama’s False Promise on Offshore Drilling”.

More than a year into his presidency and after imposing numerous delays on American energy production, President Obama announced today that he would open up portions of the Outer Continental Shelf to offshore drilling.

But the plan is defined more by what it restricts than what it opens up. The Obama administration chose to take off the table large portions of the OCS in an announcement that was supposed to be about expanding American energy.

The announcement signifies:

* No drilling in the Pacific Ocean.
* No drilling in a large portion of the Atlantic Ocean.
* No drilling in some of the most promising areas of the Gulf of Mexico.
* No drilling in much of Alaska.

While opening up any portion of the OCS for responsible energy development appears to be a great step forward, the truth is that none of this has been finalized, and most new drilling will not occur until after 2012 at the earliest.

The offering also comes with a hefty price: President Obama wants to force Americans to swallow a massive new energy tax before any state will reap the benefits from this new offshore drilling. The bill Mr. Obama urged Congress to pass last summer, the Waxman-Markey energy tax, would eviscerate the economy, killing more than one million jobs per year while raising the cost of energy for all Americans.

While Americans want energy independence, Barack Obama positioning offshore drilling ploy as carrot for Cap and Trade. It would seem when it comes to Obama, it is never about what is best for America, but more about his lberal, Marxist agenda. How does one compromise on American energy independence when it is a part of national security? This country must stop its dependence on foreign oil from the Middle East.

Republicans better understand that some things are never to be compromised.