More Common Sense On the Insanity of the Louisiana Offshore Oil Drilling BAN

The Corner discusses a email from a saftey well guy at What a Relief Well.

The first part is interesting and indeed correct. However the second part is what I wanted to highlight:

BTW, the press should be blasting Obama even more than they are over the deepwater drilling BAN. There is absolutely no science to support stopping all deepwater drilling, and that is why their experts did not endorse (or even see) that recommendation. Over 90% of each well is just drilling through rock, in hopes of that the last few % will actually find a decent oil or gas reservoir. There is virtually no potential for wells to blow out in that first 90% - especially for areas where the geology is well understood (known as "development drilling" as opposed to "exploration drilling"). Most wells are development wells since only the first one is the exploratory well, and you need several wells to develop a reservoir. All the deepwater rigs in the Gulf of Mexico, and all their employees and suppliers, could be gainfully employed as we speak, drilling all the wells on their development plan to 90% of their ultimate depth, then moving to the next location, with no real environmental risk. Instead, these rigs are heading elsewhere on the globe instead of sitting idly by for 6 or more months. These things rent for $500,000 a day. They aren't going to just sit there awaiting a politically driven panel to deliver their politically motivated decisions. The total BAN on ALL deepwater drilling activity is solely for political purposes, and has nothing to do with preventing the next disaster. "Why can't they drill through the stuff that they know is just rock, and keep those people employed in the US while your presidential commission does its work? Aren't you just shipping REALLY GOOD 6-figure jobs overseas, in the hopes that people will think you are doing something effective when you really aren't?" Those questions should be asked at every opportunity. For all Obama's talk about saving jobs, he sure is killing these directly, and for no good reason. Instead, Obama extorts an extra $100M from BP to pay for his purely political, non-scientific decision. Meanwhile, the rigs are heading to Brazil and other non-US waters, where they will be gainfully employed when the 6 month (or however long) BAN is over. They won't drop what they are doing in the middle of the well to come back once Obama gives the green light…