It’s “all of the above” except for the re-imposed moratorium on off-shore drilling which locks up 85% of the potential for gas and oil discovery and production. The Congressional Research Service released a new report comparing President Obama’s offshore drilling lease plan for 2012-2017 with previous plans offered over the last 30 years by prior Administrations. The 15 proposed lease sales in President Obama’s new plan represent the lowest number of lease sales ever offered in a plan since the process began in 1980. The Obama Administration has also delayed and cancelled several lease sales – conducting only 11 out of the 21 originally scheduled sales in the previous 2007-2012 lease plan.

It’s “all of the above” except that Obama’s EPA has promulgated stifling regulations against electricity production, especially for coal generation.

It’s “all of the above” except Obama’s Secretary of the Interior has withdrawn about one million acres in Arizona from uranium exploration and development, ignoring the lack of scientific evidence that such activities could pose potential harm to the Colorado River drainage system.

(See Uranium mining ban near Grand Canyon all politics, no science )

The Institute for Energy Research has assessed Obama’s energy policy as follows:

There has been a shift in energy policy over the past four years that aims to move our country into a “greener” future. This new energy policy includes an increase in subsidies for alternative energy sources such as solar, biofuel and wind power as well as stricter regulations on affordable sources like coal, oil and natural gas. After four years, has this shift in policy left American consumers with a better energy landscape? Are Americans really better off now than they were in 2008?

The answer is no. The government’s alternative energy subsidies have wasted taxpayer money, while new regulations continue to stifle affordable energy development. States like North Dakota — where most of the land is privately-owned and not under federal control — have been able to develop their vast energy resources despite these new policies, and have been thriving as a result. As a whole, however, the U.S. economy is hindered by this “green” energy agenda. At the end of the day, these policies hurt the American people through higher prices for essential energy needs like electricity and gasoline.

See also:

The Cost of green energy

Renewables receive bulk of tax preference subsidies

The myth of green jobs

Blowing in the Wind, a look at green jobs