Benjamin Butler/ Brittany Hardy 05 NCFCA TP 1AC-Expand Drilling in the OCS Best case ever
The affirmative team maintains that by baking homemade cookies, you lessen your dependence on the store bought variety. We also contend that you would not want someone to lock off a room in your house and deny you access. Geological reports indicate that as much as 62 billion barrels of oil wait in the rich silt of the outer continental shelf. The oil companies of the United States have the best extraction technology in the world. The United States has the strictest environmental regulations and the most incentive for efficient production. Yet a federal moratorium prevents Americans from accessing the oil reserves off our coastline. If the moratorium on offshore drilling and exploration were lifted, the coastline states would benefit from huge economic growth and all Americans would benefit from countless barrels of crude oil, proudly labeled “Made in America.”
That is why my partner and I stand resolved; “that the United States should change its energy policy to substantially reduce its dependence on foreign oil.”
Observation I- Definitions
Energy Policy shall be defined as a course of action or inaction concerning a usable source of energy.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2000
Substantial: “Considerable in importance, value, degree, amount, or extent.”
Princeton’s Word net dictionary 2000 Dependence: “The lack of independence or self sufficiency”
Observation II: Case Analysis The rationale for the change we’re advocating today is that current OCS drilling is beneficial but our current energy policy is preventing an increase in drilling in this area. By changing our energy policy we will allow an increase in drilling and thus produce several net benefits over the status quo. Observation III Inherency --AAPG Policy Statement: United States and Canadian Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf Resources accessed October 23 2004.
“There is presently a federal moratorium on any exploration of the Lower 48 OCS outside of the Central and Western Gulf of Mexico until 2012. The Atlantic OCS, the Pacific OCS, and parts of the eastern Gulf are restricted for access.”
Observation IV. The Plan
Congress and the President will enact a law with 4 mandates which will:
1. Permit exploration and drilling for oil and natural gas on the Outer Continental Shelf
2. Offer leases to US companies for oil and natural gas development between 10-200 NM offshore
3. Grant States control over oil and natural gas activities in areas less then 10 NM directly off their coasts
4. 30% of royalties from any drilling project under 20 NM will go to the state permitting that project. 30% of the royalties from any drilling project over 20NM will for to the research and development of alternative fuels. 5. Current Royalty rules and regulations will still apply.
-The U.########### Management Service and Individual State Governments, will enforce this plan
Oil royalties and leases will provide -Funding. Observation V the Rationale behind the plan: To see how our plan will benefit America, let’s turn our attention to ways that drilling in the Gulf of Mexico is already beneficial. Point 1 OCS drilling is – Economically beneficial: a. The Oil extraction Industry provides jobs. Department of Labor 2003 It states that in the year 2002 the oil and gas extraction industry sustained 123,000 jobs b. It Circulates money into State economies. “Louisiana wants to boost Industry” The vital role of the Industry was highlighted in a study which showed the industry generated an economic impact of $93 billion in 2001. c. It’s a Source of State and Federal Revenues. Robin West (Chairman, Petroleum Finance Company), 8 Mar 2002, Testimony before the US Commission on Ocean Policy, p. 2
in 2000, the OCS leasing program sent $5 billion to the federal treasury in rentals, royalties, and bonus bids. Point 2 OCS drilling is – Environmentally sound: a. High safety record. EIA 2004- since 1975 oil was produced in federal offshore waters with a 99.999% safety record b. Offshore drilling has not “harmed” the environment. MMS 2004 Extensive studies have been conducted to monitor the potential impacts to the environment from discharge of drilling muds. To date, these studies have found that effects are short lived and confined to a localized area around the platform. c. Creates ecosystems. Louisiana’s Steel-legged Reefs 2003 “Off the coast of Louisiana lie some of the world’###### unusual reefs. We’re not talking about coral or shell reefs, but the steel legged kind that the oil companies constructed throughout the waters of the Gulf of Mexico As a result of this, many fish gather under and near the leg structures of these steel reefs. Point 3 OCS– Gives U.S. options: a. OCS is the largest source of US oil. b. OCS Production is increasing
STATEMENT OF DEPUTY SECRETARY U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
BEFORE THE SENATE ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMITTEE U.S. SENATE 2003.
“We project that OCS production could easily reach 2 million barrels per day in the next few years. This makes the OCS the largest single source of oil for the U.S. economy”
Observation VI Net Benefits Thus, as we have seen, current OCS drilling is extremely low-risk and produces significant strategic and economic advantages for the United States. Unfortunately, despite these benefits of current OCS drilling, the Status Quo unjustly and unnecessarily restricts additional drilling in the OCS. The impact of this moratorium is to artificially limit U.S. access to its own domestic oil reserves, which in turn prevents the United States from realizing the economic and strategic advantages that would result from additional OCS drilling. However, by reversing the counterproductive moratorium on OCS exploration and development, the U.S. could build on the advantages of current OCS drilling, and thereby create two significant net benefits over the status quo. Benefit 1 Economic growth An increase in drilling would: a. Create jobs, b. it would circulate additional money into state economies, and c. it would provide a source of additional revenue for the federal government and alternative fuel research. As the Heritage Foundation observes in “Issues 2004- Energy and the Environment:” “The longer Congress restricts energy production at home, the more they send American jobs and money overseas unnecessarily to make up the difference. More domestic energy production…will strengthen the nations’ economy. Benefit 2 Decrease Dependence on foreign oil Our Plan would increase drilling and thus increase the amount of oil produced everyday. This means that each and every day the US would have the choice to use that oil. By giving the US this option, we decrease our dependence on foreign oil. The effect of reducing dependence is that we will give the US a strategically beneficial position as well as increase the diversity of our oil sources. This reduction of dependence and increased diversity would improve the national security of the United States | 
