If anyone doubts the current administration's negative impact on U.S. oil and natural gas development, the Western Energy Alliance (WEA) has some news for you: The numbers don't lie.

The WEA recently compiled government data showing trends in oil and natural development on western public lands. The figures are revealing:

• In its western offices, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), a division of the U.S. Department of the Interior, issued 531 leases for oil and natural gas development in Fiscal Year (FY) 2010, a 79 percent drop from the 2,499 leases issued in FY2005.

• Since FY2005, BLM has offered 60 percent fewer parcels and 70 percent fewer acres to development.

• Leasing revenue to the federal government fell 46 percent from $189.6 million in FY2005 to $101.6 million in FY2010.

• In th... more »

(Editor's Note: The following Op-Ed by API President and CEO Jack Gerard was published in The Hill today.)

The Interior Department's surprising decision to place the Atlantic, Pacific and the eastern Gulf of Mexico off-limits to oil and natural gas production for at least seven years takes U.S. energy policy in the wrong direction. Despite long-standing concerns about U.S. energy dependence on oil from other countries, the administration's decision is likely to result in increased imports and a lessening of U.S. energy security.

The decision couldn't have come at a worse time. With unemployment rising to 9.8 percent and an estimated 15 million Americans out of work, it makes no sense to shut the door on one of the nation's best prospects for job creation.

A study by ICF International proje... more »

America is at a fork in the road with regard to energy policy. One path leads to U.S. economic growth, American job creation and energy security through more domestic oil and natural gas development. The other path--limited access to energy resources or punitive higher taxes--means fewer jobs, less revenue to government and weakened energy security.

As our economy struggles to recover, as the unemployment rate remains stubbornly near 10 percent and as policymakers look for ways to fix the record deficit, we'd like to highlight a path to increased economic prosperity through domestic oil and natural gas development.

The administration's decision to restrict offshore development along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts and in the eastern Gulf of Mexico will harm our economy. A recent ICF Intern... more »

There's more bad news on the economic front today. The official unemployment rate has climbed to 9.8 percent. An estimated 15 million Americans are out of work this holiday season.

The high unemployment statistics make it even more troubling that the administration has chosen to halt offshore oil and natural gas development in the eastern Gulf, the Atlantic and Pacific for at least the next seven years. As we reported yesterday, opening those areas to development could have created 57,000 high-paying jobs.

The ban on opening new offshore areas to drilling was only one of several news stories and revelations that have raised questions about policy decisions in the past few days:

• Former Vice President Al Gore admitted that he supported ethanol purely for political reasons. "I had a certain... more »

Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell yesterday signed an executive order halting natural gas development on state lands. In a statement, he said the ban was needed "to protect our un-leased public lands from this [drilling] rush." But many believe the executive order was driven by politics, not environmental protection.

Under the state budget plan, Rendell had an agreement with Pennsylvania lawmakers to pass a natural gas extraction tax, also called a severance tax, before they adjourned for the Nov. 2 elections. The state House of Representatives passed the measure in September, but the Senate did not act on the bill. Rendell signed the order a few days after admitting the tax "is dead this year."

"Holding hostage important natural gas development and the... more »