"In the last weeks in office, the Bush administration rushed ahead to sell oil and gas leases near some of our nation's most precious landscapes in Utah," Interior Secretary Ken Salazar told reporters. "“We need to responsibly develop our oil and gas supplies to help us reduce our dependence on foreign oil, but we must do so in a thoughtful and balanced way that allows us to protect our signature landscapes and cultural resources."
Translation: Piss on you. The ecofreaks are all Dimicrats and we take care of our own!
"We will take time and a fresh look at these 77 parcels to see if they are appropriate for oil and gas development," he said,
Translation: If they believe that they are as stupid as we think they are.
Republicans and the oil industry have argued that the United States should open more domestic areas if it wants to create jobs and reduce its reliance on foreign oil.
Translation: Republicans and the oil industry have argued that the United States should open more domestic areas if it wants to create jobs and reduce its reliance on foreign oil.
“This action will come as a disappointment to communities that were counting on these energy leases to generate high-wage jobs in these difficult economic times," Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Wash., said in a statement.
Translation: Little Johnnie can work at WalMart.
"We hope today's decision does not signal the administration is returning to the failed policies of the past, leaving much of America's vast energy resources locked up while the nation's demand for energy continues to grow," added Jack Gerard, president of the American Petroleum Institute.
Translation: The *&90-1's are screwing up again.
Environmental groups lauded the action, saying drilling would have threatened Utah's wild lands and spoil views from some of the state's spectacular national parks.
Translation: Let'em eat cake!
"I see this announcement as a sign that after eight long years of rapacious greed and backdoor dealings, our government is returning a sense of balance to the way it manages our lands," actor and activist Robert Redford, a trustee with the Natural Resources Defense Council, said in a statement issued by groups that opposed the leases.
Translation: You aint gonna spoil my view!
Redford owns a home in Utah and hosts the annual Sundance Film Festival there.
Translation: You aint gonna spoil my view!
Link
Hat tip to Buffy1 at Tennesseean.com
