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Obama: No new offshore oil drilling leases
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U.S. President Barack Obama says no more offshore oil drilling leases will be issued unless oil rigs have new safeguards. The move follows an explosion that unleashed the massive spill threatening the Gulf Coast with major environmental damage.
Obama says any future offshore tracts leased for exploitation will be subject to better safety measures to prevent and control oil spills.
U.S. President Barack Obama said, "I've ordered (Interior) Secretary (Ken) Salazar to conduct a thorough review of this incident and report back to me in 30 days on what, if any, additional precautions and technologies should be required to prevent accidents like this from happening again. And we're going to make sure that any leases going forward have those safeguards. We've also dispatched teams to the Gulf to inspect all deep water rigs and platforms to address safety concerns."
The Obama Administration faces criticism that its response to the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is too slow.
Obama says everything possible is being done to help stop the spill and alleviate its effects.
Barack Obama said, "Approximately 1,900 federal response personnel are in the area, and more than 300 response vessels and aircraft on the scene 24 / 7. We have also laid approximately 217,000 feet of protective boom, and there are more on the way."
The oil spill may prove to become America's worst environmental disaster in decades.
Oil from the massive spill started to come ashore at the mouth of the Mississippi River on Friday, threatening species of fish, birds and other wildlife.
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