After reading our post this morning about the three First District congressional candidates' positions on energy policy, a kind friend pointed out the absurdity of something Brian Davis told Minnesota Public Radio in the story to which we linked. Davis claimed:
"We are the only country in the world that does not allow off-shore drilling, and yet we're the largest consumer of oil and the third largest producer," he says.
These pearls of wisdom about how the U.S.A. doesn't allow off-shore drilling will come as a shock to the folks working at the U.S. government's Minerals Management Service. Its website outlines its mission:
The dedicated men and women of the Minerals Management Service regulate domestic energy production off America’s coast on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). We also collect and disburse royalty revenue generated from energy production on all Federal and American Indian lands. In our short, 25-year history, we have disbursed more than $176 billion to states, American Indians, and the U.S. Treasury.
We, the people at MMS, oversee an offshore energy program that provides about 27 percent of America’s domestic oil production and about 15 percent of our domestic natural gas production. Without MMS’s hard work, our nation’s reliance on foreign sources of oil would likely be even higher than it is today.
We noted yesterday in our bulletin on there's something about Brian....:
. . .we've repeatedly documented Davis's own loose relationship with facts. Now, we see signs that this disorder may be contagious. Editors: fact check those stories if your staff writers have gotten near this campaign. The journalistic reputation you save may be your own.
Image: When Brian Davis is around, facts fly out the window. Ouch!
Third update: The answer below didn't satisfy Hailperin, who asked in an email for examples of actual drilling going on. We located a July 22, 2008 press release from the MMS, Tropical Storm Dolly Activity Statistics Update:
Offshore oil and gas operators in the Gulf of Mexico are evacuating platforms and rigs in the path of Tropical Storm Dolly. The Minerals Management Service has activated its Continuity of Operations Plan team to monitor the operators’ activities. This team will be activated until operations return to normal and the storm is no longer a threat to the Gulf of Mexico oil and gas activities.
Based on data from offshore operator reports submitted as of 11:30 a.m. CST today, personnel have been evacuated from a total of 49 production platforms, equivalent to 6.8 % of the 717 manned platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. Production platforms are the structures located offshore from which oil and natural gas are produced.These structures remain in the same location throughout a project’s duration unlike drilling rigs which typically move from location to location.
Personnel from 6 rigs have also been evacuated; this is equivalent to 4.9 % of the 123 rigs currently operating in the Gulf. Rigs can include several types of self-contained offshore drilling facilities including jackups, submersibles and semisubmersibles.
Hope the presences of 123 rigs is good enough (the MMS was kind enough to provide definitions of production platforms and drilling rigs, which we have highlighted).
If Dr. Hailperin wants us to make sure everyone of them is actually in the process of drilling, we suggest he buy us a plane ticket to the Gulf, charter a nice yacht, and we'd be happy to spend the rest of the summer checking each and every rig out. [end update].
Second update: Max Hailperin wonders in the comments section if it would be possible to have production without any new drilling. A good question which can be answered by looking at the lease sales pages on the MMS's website. Lease sales are ongoing in open areas. The final proposal for the 2007-2012 program, for instance, included only one currently area now off-limits, in the Mid-Atlantic off the coast of Virginia. According to page 69, this now-forbidden area is a small piece in the 5-year plan. Should the moratorium not be lifted:
Only a small level of activity and production was estimated to occur as a result of including the area off Virginia; therefore, the level of impacts that would not occur without a sale and resulting activity would be small as well.
As readers can see, lease sales are taking place in open areas in the Gulf of Mexico and off Alaska. Since leases are regularly offered up, drilling--and that production the MMS touts--are indeed allowed offshore in these areas. We thank Dr. Hailperin for posing the question. Davis is still simply wrong: drilling is allowed in open areas. [end update]
Update: Looks like we're not the only one to notice this latest gaffe. We had just posted this entry, only to find a scathing press release in our inbox from Eric Fought, the new kid on the block at the state DFL's communications office:
Brian Davis: Fighting for Big Oil
Davis energy plan puts oil companies over middle-class families, still distorts truth
(July 22, 2008) — Republican First District Congressional candidate Brian Davis continues to demonstrate that his energy plan puts Big Oil companies over middle-class families.
In a July 21 Star Tribune chart on energy policy, Davis stated that he opposes increased restrictions on speculation in oil markets. Many reports argue that speculation plays a significant role in driving oil prices higher worldwide.
In addition, Davis continues to distort the truth on energy policy. In another recent example, Davis claimed in a July 20 interview with Minnesota Public Radio that “[w]e’re the only country in the world that does not allow off-shore drilling.” Facts from the Minerals Management Service ( MMS ), the federal agency that oversees off-shore drilling in the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), directly contradict Davis’s claim, showing that the OCS accounts for about 27% of America’s domestic oil production.
DFL Party Associate Communications Director Eric Fought released the following statement:
“While many Minnesotans would agree that we need to stop oil speculation from unfairly driving up the price of oil, millionaire Dr. Brian Davis wants to give the oil speculators and his friends in Big Oil free reign to increase prices and make record profits.
“From his support for oil speculators to his false statements on off-shore drilling, Dr. Davis continues to fight for the oil companies over working families, taking outlandish positions and distorting the truth.”
Brian Davis: Putting Big Oil First
In a Star Tribune chart on the energy positions of Congressional candidates, Davis states that he opposes increased restrictions of speculation in oil markets. [Star Tribune website, accessed 7/22/07]
The facts show that oil speculation has driven up the cost of oil, by as much as $20-$60 per barrel.The International Monetary Fund states: “t is critical for the American people paying a record $4 per gallon and the integrity of the oil futures market to curb the excessive speculation, which experts testified this week may be responsible for inflating prices by as much as $20 to $60 more per barrel. The International Monetary Fund recently concluded that, “speculation has played a significant role in the run-up of oil prices.”[International Monetary Fund, Regional Economic Outlook, Middle East and Central America , p. 28, 5/08]
Brian Davis: Spreading Misinformation on Energy
In an interview with Minnesota Public Radio, Davis made outlandish claim about off-shore drilling. In a story placed on the MPR website, Brian Davis stated that “while he lacked political experience, he says he knows what needs to be done to lower gas prices.” Davis continued, “We’re the only country in the world that does not allow off-shore drilling.” [ Minnesota Public Radio, 7/20/08]
According to federal agency tasked with overseeing off-shore drilling, plenty of drilling is taking place. “The OCS is a significant source of oil and gas for the Nation’s energy supply. The approximately 43 million leased OCS acres generally accounts for about 15 percent of America ’s domestic natural gas production and about 27 percent of America ’s domestic oil production. The MMS’s oversight and regulatory frameworks ensure production and drilling are done in an environmentally responsible manner, and done safely.” [Minerals Management Service Website, accessed 7/21/08]
Read the rest at the DFL's web site. We'll supply a precise link when the press release is posted. [end update]
Umm, I would hate to be a a Davis supporter, but I'd even more so hate to get the facts wrong. Isn't "drilling" distinct from "production"? Don't you produce today from wells that you drilled yesterday? So wouldn't it be possible to have 27% of production coming from a region where no new drilling was occurring?
Ollie Ox replies: You don't have to become a Davis supporter, Max. See our second update in the body of the post in response to your comment. Thanks!
Posted by: Max Hailperin | July 22, 2008 at 05:55 PM