|
"There is no disputing the fact that our nation's domestic energy production on federal lands is far lower than what was projected before this administration took office, and is trending in the exact opposite direction of the rapid growth we're seeing on private and state lands," Vitter said. The western region's previous sale, last December, brought more than $324 million in leases. The central Gulf, the region where BP's Macondo well was located, is a much more attractive area for drillers. An auction for that region in June brought in $1.7 billion in high bids, the fourth-largest amount for that region since 1983 and $751 million more than the one for the same area in March 2010, a month before BP's Macondo well blew out. BP had $239.5 million in winning bids in the June lease sale. The bureau rejects bids considered below fair-market value. It rejected 22 of June's 454 high bids as too low. It will be months before it decides if any of Wednesday's bids will be rejected. The idea of setting a fair market value for the tracts interested members of an energy delegation from Myanmar, who questioned BOEM official Thierry DeCourt through a translator before the sale. About 3 percent to 5 percent of all bids are rejected as "grossly underbid," he told the group. The Environmental Protection Agency's suspension of new federal contracts for BP on Wednesday had nothing to do with its not bidding, said John Rodi, BOEM's regional director for the Gulf of Mexico.
[Associated
Press;
Copyright 2012 The Associated
Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
News | Sports | Business | Rural Review | Teaching & Learning | Home and Family | Tourism | Obituaries
Community |
Perspectives
|
Law & Courts |
Leisure Time
|
Spiritual Life |
Health & Fitness |
Teen Scene
Calendar
|
Letters to the Editor