Barack Obama's Offshore Drilling Ban to Cost Jobs, Energy Security

The ban imposed by the Department of the Interior on oil and gas drilling off of the US southeast Atlantic coast will cost the United States jobs threaten its energy security, US Chamber of Commerce Institute for 21st Century Energy President Karen Harbert said in a statement on Tuesday.

NEW YORK (Sputnik) —The Obama administration is expected to announce it will put on hold all oil and gas drilling on the outer continental shelf of the Atlantic Ocean.

"Today’s announcement that the waters off of our Atlantic coast will be excluded from the next offshore drilling plan is nevertheless remarkable for its catering to fringe constituencies at the expense of energy security and the American economy," Harbert stated.

The plan would ban oil and gas drilling off of the US southeast Atlantic coast until 2022.

"The outer continental shelf is the backbone of US oil and gas production, and the announced deviation from the proposed plan will cost us jobs and harm security for decades to come," Harbert argued.

The US Chamber of Commerce "will do everything in its power" to challenge the Obama administration’s decision, Harbert added, but did not specify what actions the organization will undertake.

The US Chamber of Commerce is the world’s largest business federation representing the interests of more than three million businesses of all sizes, sectors and regions, as well as state and local chambers and industry associations.