Here is exactly what Newt said, regarding North Dakota’s unemployment and oil drilling.
Now let’s dive into some facts that i am sure conservatives will dispute and liberals will dislike.
2011 was President Obama’s third year of his first term. So I went to the Bureau Of Land Management and looked up statistics regarding oil drilling on federal land under Obama in 2011 and Bush in 2003. This would be the same time frame of their respective terms.
Here is the bureau of land management stats on NEW leases for drilling on federal land …
Obama New leases 2,188 in 2011
George Bush gave out only 2,022 in 2003
166 more leases under Obama than Bush
Here is the number of wells started in 2011 …
Obama new wells 3,260
Bush in 2003 only 2,957 new wells were drilled
303 new well under Obama than under Bush
Here is the number of drilling permits in 2011…
Obama’s new permits on federal land 4,244
In contrast, President Bush, the oil man, gave out ONLY 3,802 permits in 2003
442 more permits under Obama than under Bush
The numbers are down from Bush overall, but not in a radical way, the way the Heritage Foundation, Newt Gingrich and the GOP make Obama out to be.
As I said these numbers may make environmentally minded people upset, but the facts are here to see.
