FOD 2011.02.07

It's obvious that plenty of Americans have nothing but contempt for the loser-in-chief currently taking up space in the White House. What is becoming painfully obvious is that he and his cronies have nothing but contempt for the American people and the rule of law.

A contemptuous administration

The Obama administration doesn’t hide its contempt for Congress, independent agencies, watchdog groups, the media and whistle-blowers. Now a federal judge has found the administration in contempt of court. It’s about time.

U.S. District Judge Martin L.C.Feldman found the US Department of the Interior in contempt of his order to lift a moratorium on deepwater drilling. DOI and Interior Secretary Kenneth L. Salazar acted with “determined disregard” Feldman said in a Feb. 2 ruling. “Such dismissive conduct, viewed in tandem with the reimposition of a second blanket and substantially identical moratorium, provide this court with clear and convincing evidence of the government’s contempt.”

When the executive branch is in contempt, it tempts a constitutional confrontation. In this drilling case, more than a balanced separation of powers is at stake; our faltering economy is involved too. “As a result [of the moratorium],” said Jim Adams, president of the Offshore Marine Service Association, “thousands of workers are out of jobs, Americans are paying more for gasoline and heating oil, and our nation is becoming even more dependent on unstable nations for our energy needs.” The last thing Americans need is for everyday prices to go up. Before the unrest in Egypt, gasoline already had jumped above $3 per gallon. Mr. Obama’s policies against domestic fuel production hardly relieve demand pressures.

The White House is not a supreme branch of government. The administration must play by the same rules as everyone else. Judge Feldman has warned Mr. Obama that presidential authority is limited by the law.

It's not just the Gulf. We see the same theme being played out in Alaska.

Shell Moves Alaska Drilling To 2012, Citing Regulatory Delays

A lengthy U.S. regulatory process has forced Royal Dutch Shell to postpone offshore drilling plans in Alaska to 2012 from 2011 ... a company executive said Thursday.

The company requires a key air-quality permit before it can move forward ... said Pete Slaiby, vice president at Shell Alaska.

"We've been trying to [obtain] an air permit for five years...and now the continuous regulatory delays have forced us to make a decision...to forgo drilling in 2011," Slaiby said, speaking with reporters from Anchorage. "Shell is ready to drill."

FIVE YEARS?!?! For a single permit? I know that government bureaucracies are notoriously slow, but this is ridiculous.

Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell criticized the federal government for delaying issuance of the air-quality permit.

"It is unfathomable that a company can buy federal leases but can't get onto them within five years," Parnell said, speaking with reporters from Anchorage. He added that 35,000 jobs are on hold along with Shell's drilling plans.

35,000 jobs on hold, at a time when the reported unemployment rate is hovering around 9% (and the true unemployment rate is much higher). Of course, they're not jobs in the officially sanctioned green energy sector, so I guess they don't count.

Even members of obama's own party are getting fed up.

Alaska’s Congressional delegation has come out swinging against the Obama Administration at news that Shell is pushing back exploration plans in the Arctic.

That drew disgust from Senator Mark Begich (D - Alaska) – not at Shell, but at the White House.

“I put the total blame of this year delay on the EPA and the Obama Administration and their inability to get their act together,” Begich said. “They have a lack of ability over and over again to say OK, here’s the deadline, here’s what they’ll work within, they seem to be unable to do that, or put additional road blocks.”

... Senator Begich says the EPA should be aggressive in moving forward.  He said he’s not sure what the holdup is – whether it’s lack of organization, lack of resources, or intentional foot-dragging on fossil fuel development.

I don't think there's any doubt it's intentional foot-dragging. Remember when obama’s Energy Secretary Steven Chu stated that the administration should “figure out how to boost the price of gasoline to the levels in Europe.” At the time he made the statement European gas cost $7 – $8 a gallon. (For a more thorough list of what obama has done to raise energy costs, eliminate jobs, and make this country more dependent on oil controlled by our enemies go here).

And maybe, just maybe, it has something to do with the fact that Sarah Palin is from Alaska.

Begich says if the President wants to stand by his pledge to be more energy independent, as he called for last week at the State of the Union, then his administration should get serious.  Senator Lisa Murkowski agrees, and said in a written statement today that Shell’s inability to get a green light on its permits is damaging the national economy.

We have a president hell bent for leather on destroying our domestic energy industry, regardless of how many jobs it costs, what it does to energy prices, and the negative effect it has on national security. And while doing so he ignores rulings and injunctions that he doesn't agree with. 2013 can't get here soon enough...