President Barack Obama announced on Wednesday plans for an offshore oil and gas drilling expansion.
The Obama administration will consider new areas for drilling in the mid and south Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico.
Obama's decision to consider offshore drilling was made mainly in order to receive the bipartisan support he needs to pass a bill that would set limits on U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.
The President cautions that expanding drilling is not a final solution to U.S. energy problems.
"Drilling alone cannot come close to meeting our long-term energy needs," Obama remarked.
Obama stressed the importance of the transition to cleaner fuels.
For the past 20 years, drilling was banned in most offshore areas of the United States outside the Gulf of Mexico due to environmental concerns surrounding the possibility of oil spills.
The government will now allow drilling about 50 miles off the Virginia coast - the first new lease for offshore drilling in two decades.
Obama also said that proposed leases in Alaska's Bristol Bay will be canceled.
Additionally, the administration will limit any oil and gas drilling off the coast of Florida to no more than 125 miles from the shore.
Representative Edward Markey of Massachusetts said that oil companies should be forced to use existing leases before they are granted new ones on coastal areas.
Obama believes that there are Democratic and Republican ways to improve the environment and reduce U.S. dependency on foreign oil.
He'll have to find a way for left and right to meet in the middle in order to gain bipartisan support and work on finding a long-term solution.
Until next time,
Hilary
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