Offshore Drilling

Offshore drilling is the drilling and extraction of oil or natural gas from underground deposits under an ocean or other large, natural body of water.

A U.S. Appeals court stopped drilling in Alaska in April 2009 on leases that had previously been approved by the Bush Administration, stating the the environmental impact of the leases had not been fully reviewed.U.S. Appeals Court: Case No. 07-1247 (April 18, 2009)

In February 2009, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar had announced that the Obama Administration will be shelving the Bush-era plan to allow new drilling off US coasts while it prepared a comprehensive report of the energy potential of the outer continental shelf, which included wind and water.MSNBC.com: Bush-era offshore drilling plan is set aside (February 10, 2009)

Brazil is one of world's major oil producing nations. The oil is difficult to reach as it lies deep beneath Brazil's Santos basin. To extract it, Brazil's Petrobras, Brazil's state-controlled oil company, will have to delve through 2,140 meters of water then drill through 3,000 to 4,000 meters of sand and rocks and a 2,000-meter-thick salt layer.

"One of the factors driving up high gas prices is that many of our oil deposits here in the United States have been put off-limits for exploration and production. Past efforts to meet the demand for oil by expanding domestic resources have been repeatedly rejected by Democrats in Congress."-President George W. BushCBS News: Bush To Lift Ban On Offshore Drilling (July 14, 2008)