Obama announces permission for offshore oil drilling

WASHINGTON, March 31 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Barack Obama Wednesday announced permission for oil drilling 50 miles (80 kilometers) off the Virginia shorelines, marking the country's effort to reduce reliance on foreign energy sources.

U.S. President Barack Obama Wednesday announces permission for oil drilling 50 miles (80 kilometers) off the Virginia shorelines at Andrews air base on the outskirts of Washington. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

"We are here today to talk about America's energy security, an issue that has been a priority for my administration since the day I took office," Obama said at Andrews air base on the outskirts of Washington, telling a military audience "this is not a decision that I've made lightly."

"We're announcing the expansion of offshore oil and gas exploration but in ways that balance the need to harness domestic energy resources and the need to protect America's natural resources," Obama said.

"This announcement is part of a broader strategy that will move us from an economy that runs on fossil fuels and foreign oil to one that relies more on homegrown fuels and clean energy. And the only way this transition will succeed is if it strengthens our economy in the short term and long term."

The new strategy modifies a ban that for more than 20 years has limited drilling along coastal areas other than the Gulf of Mexico.

It allows new oil drilling off Virginia's shoreline and considers it for a large chunk of the Atlantic seaboard. But it cancel some proposed contracts in Alaska.

The plan is part of the Obama administration's new energy policy.

"Drilling alone cannot come close to meeting our long-term energy needs, and  for the sake of the planet and our energy independence, we need to begin the transition to cleaner fuels now, " Obama said.