On March 31, three weeks before the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster, President Barack Obama announced plans to open offshore oil drilling along the east coast of the United States from Virginia to Florida and the eastern Gulf of Mexico, ending a decades-long moratorium.
He further announced research to assess the feasibility of offshore drilling in the
Beaufort and Chukchi seas off the north coast of Alaska.
Explaining the 2010 decision was “intended to reduce dependence on oil imports, generate revenue from the sale of offshore leases and help win political support for comprehensive energy and climate legislation,” the New York Times wrote “the sheer breadth of the offshore drilling decision will take some of [the president’s] supporters aback… Even as Mr. Obama curries favors with pro-drilling interests, he risks a backlash from some coastal governors, senators and environmental advocates, who say that the relatively small amounts of oil to be gained in the offshore areas are not worth the environmental risks.”