A major turning point occurred in the energy strat

U.S. President Barack Obama announced on Wednesday that he will expand the development of offshore oil and gas fields in the United States to ensure the near-term energy security of the United States. As a result, the ban on offshore oil and gas exploitation in the United States, which has lasted for more than 20 years, will come to an end, and a major turning point is taking place in the U.S. energy strategy. Why did Obama allow the exploitation of offshore oil and gas fields? Why did the United States enact the offshore oil exploitation ban law? Voice of China connects with Feng Ya of CCTV to understand the context behind it:

host: Why did the United States originally enact a law banning offshore oil and gas exploitation

: the U.S. Congress passed the offshore oil exploitation prohibition law in 1981, and President Bush signed the administrative prohibition order in 1990, which completely froze the offshore oil exploitation in the United States. The United States has multiple considerations in "abandoning its martial arts" on the issue of oil self-sufficiency. The first is environmental protection. In 1969, a major oil spill occurred in California, USA. The safety of oil exploitation has become the focus of public opinion. In 1981, the U.S. Congress passed a bill to freeze oil exploration on the continental shelf of the United States, which is 4.8 kilometers to 322 kilometers from the coastline. The bill is reviewed and extended every year

in 1989, the most serious oil spill in American history occurred in Alaska. The next year, the then President George H.W. Bush signed an executive order to expand the mining ban to all offshore waters in the central Gulf of Mexico and Alaska. The ban was valid until 2002. In 1998, Clinton extended the validity period to 2012

although on the surface, the US mining ban is based on environmental considerations, many analysts believe that the US government also has long-term strategic considerations in sealing its own oil fields. Because 5. Operating fatigue tests in different environments, oil and gas are non renewable resources. By sealing up its own oil and gas resources, the United States is prepared to take the initiative in these strategic materials. However, critics believe that the prohibition of offshore oil and gas exploitation in the United States not only reduces coastal employment opportunities, but also intensifies the dependence on overseas energy, which is not necessarily a good thing for the overall national interests of the United States

in fact, the dispute between the US government and the public over the mining ban can be seen from the differences among members of the Bush family. The elder Bush was the maker of the administrative ban, and the younger Bush's brother, Jeb Bush, who was once the governor of Florida, also publicly opposed offshore oil exploration. But former President George W. Bush is a staunch supporter of offshore oil production

host: now why does Obama announce more offshore oil and gas field development

: the United States allows offshore oil and gas exploration, which is also the result of the "relay" of the two Presidents George W. Bush and Obama. As early as July 2008, driven by the soaring oil price at that time, George W. Bush had lifted the administrative ban on offshore oil and gas exploration. Subsequently, the US House of Representatives and the US House of Representatives successively lifted the relevant mining legal prohibitions. The Obama administration is now just another step forward. But why Obama made such a decision at this time can be summed up in three considerations:

first, energy security. In his speech on the 31st, Obama also stressed that ensuring U.S. energy security with overcurrent, overvoltage, overload and other protective devices is one of the first options for his administration. As a long-term goal, the United States should rely more on its own clean energy; However, as a short-term goal, this part of consumer demand in the United States appears rigid, and more offshore oil and gas resources must be developed. Obama also said that it was a difficult decision to allow offshore oil and gas exploration. He considered this for more than a year. He said, "this is not a decision I made easily.". He knew that many people would strongly oppose this decision, but to successfully realize the transformation of energy strategy, the United States must ensure that the energy issue can ensure the stability of the economy in the short and long term. "If you don't recognize this fact, you will make a mistake"

the second consideration is to ensure economic growth and job creation. The United States will announce its unemployment rate for March today. U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner recently said that the current U.S. unemployment rate of 9.7% will remain at an "unacceptably high level" for some time to come. Although the employment opportunities brought by allowing offshore oil and gas exploration are "a drop in the bucket" compared with the poor employment rate of close to 10% of lack of cooperation. But at least it increases the possibility of employment

Obama's third consideration is to please the Republicans. In American politics, the Republican Party is usually accused of representing the interests of energy enterprises, so it has always advocated lifting the offshore mining ban. Democrats are mostly opposed to mining, and Obama also held an opposition position at first. However, with the surge of international oil prices in 2008, domestic public opinion in the United States tends to lift the offshore mining ban, and Obama immediately adjusted his position and held an open attitude towards lifting the ban. This time, he further took the initiative to agree to mining, which also means "showing goodwill" to the Republican Party. The New York Times article pointed out that Obama hoped to win the support of Republicans and centrist Democrats through a series of concessions on energy issues, including the previous agreement on the development of coal and nuclear energy, so that they could give a "green light" to the proposed climate bill

host: the lifting of the ban on offshore oil exploitation marks a change in the U.S. energy strategy, that is, from the high dependence on imports in the past to the equal emphasis on imports and self production. This is good news for the U.S. oil industry. Is it also conducive to coping with the pressure of high oil prices to a certain extent

: it may not work for a while. After Obama made the exploitable decision, according to the relevant procedures, the U.S. Department of the interior will carry out geological exploration of the allowed exploitable oil and gas fields and evaluate the surrounding environment. If it is determined to be exploitable, the U.S. government will invite bids. The fastest oil and gas field bidding is also expected to be in 2012. However, industry insiders in the United States pointed out that offshore oil exploitation has a long cycle and high cost, and there will be no revenue in the next 10 years; In addition, compared with the huge consumption of the United States, the new oil and gas production may still be a drop in the bucket. Therefore, as Obama said, increasing oil and gas production in the United States is still only a short-term goal. To achieve energy security, as a long-term goal, the United States must devote itself to the development of clean and renewable energy

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