WASHINGTON (AFP) President Barack Obama Wednesday a March decision on enlargement of offshore oil exploration on the Atlantic Ocean and the eastern Gulf of Mexico reversed, but drilling in the part of the Gulf of BP disaster allows affected deepwater further.
Moving of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced would ban until 2017 beyond oil and gas exploration in areas where there currently no drilling activity, such as in the eastern Gulf of Mexico before the coast of Florida, and the Centre and South Atlantic oceans.
Drilling in the Arctic, where only a company, shell, to a marketing authorisation submitted to drill a well, would "caution," said Salazar continue.
Made the reverse was a stricter legislation and stricter safety regulations for offshore drilling, "at the end of the oil spill deepwater horizon" with him brought Salazar said.
"We reviewed have our first March announcement... to focus and expand our critical resources on areas of leases that are currently active", Salazar said.
But the change in the policy had no effect on drilling in the central or Western Gulf of Mexico, where an explosion at BP's deepwater horizon rig on May 20 the worst maritime oil disaster in U.S. history raised.
"The modified plan currently lease sales in Western and Central Europe Golf Mexico calculated, subject to strict environmental analysis, continue allows", Salazar said.
The decision brought mixed responses from law in States that were affected by the Gulf oil spill or off would have seen your coast oil platforms, if exploration in the Atlantic and Eastern Gulf ahead gone.
Florida Democratic Senator Bill Nelson said the decision would ensure his State's vital tourism and fishing industry and Florida's "unique environment."
Democrat Edward Markey of Massachusetts, the most important energy panels in the House of representatives said chairs, showed the change in politics "Obama management listened the lessons learned from the disaster of BP"
"This plan will move America forward on a prudent path until we can ensure that if an oil company drill target genes, it is ultra secure,", he said.
But Louisiana Democratic Senator Mary Landrieu, the condition of which was affected most by the BP disaster as the decision a "step backward" for the security of energy supply.
"The original five-year plan... signaled that this Government has been seriously jobs and our nation?" s energy security.
"Despite the strict new security regulations are now needed by an accident deepwater horizon, this Government has decided a turnaround, make" she said.
The conservative U.S. Chamber of Commerce beat Obama management for the storage of "America's abundant oil and natural gas resources under lock and key... ensure that we continue to increase our dependence on foreign oil."
Republican Congressman John Culberson Texas gave the thumbs down the move, saying it would "increase energy prices, dampen economic growth, American jobs abroad send and add more pain and suffering on American consumers in these difficult economic times."
And Kenneth Cohen of oil giant ExxonMobil said that the decision would "eliminate much-needed revenue, inhibit to increase employment and dependence on imported energy."
Environmental groups, which had bitter rejected the March decision to open up new areas in the Atlantic and Eastern Gulf oil and gas exploration was the announcement of a mixed feelings.
The natural resources Defense Council (NRDC) movement said "go not far enough", because it left the door open for drilling in the Arctic and allowed seismic tests in the Atlantic Ocean, both of those could jeopardize fragile environments and the livelihoods of millions of Americans.
Athan Manuel Sierra Club environmental group said that keeping was drilling from the eastern Gulf and Atlantic a "step in the right direction... an oil spill as BP disaster überall-- could happen in Alaska or the Central and Western Gulf, where drilling is allowed."
The explosion on the deepwater horizon rig in the Gulf of Mexico 11 workers killed and caused a record 4.9 million barrels or 185 million gallons of crude oil spewing into the sea, crippling the fishing and tourism industry in the Gulf Coast and immense damage in the fragile eco-system caused.
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