A third of America’s domestic crude oil – and most of the Gulf’s oil-comes from wells that are “deep water,” using the administration’s definition. The moratorium does not affect existing wells, but by freezing out virtually all new offshore wells, it will prevent some 200,000 barrels per day of output next year, and perhaps 340,000 barrels per day-20 percent of total U.S. production-by 2015, with the amount increasing every year after that.
Local Government
When Government Lobbies Itself: Why Texas Should Ban Taxpayer-Funded Lobbying
Texas local governments use taxpayer dollars to hire lobbyists to influence state legislation—creating conflicts of interest, distorting democratic accountability, and undermining the interests of Texas taxpayers. Key points: Taxpayer-funded lobbying expenditures more than doubled from the 85th to the 89th Legislature, now reaching as high as $111.5 million. Taxpayer-funded lobbyists consistently opposed legislation involving property...
April 6, 2026