Contrary to the GOP wingnut claim’s that Obama has ended oil exploration in this country:

Deep Gulf drilling thrives 18 mos. after BP spill

[…]

Across the Gulf, energy companies are probing dozens of new deepwater fields thanks to high oil prices and technological advances that finally make it possible to tap them.

The newfound oil will not do much to lower global oil prices. But together with increased production from onshore U.S. fields and slowing domestic demand for gasoline, it could help reduce U.S. oil imports by more than half over the next decade.

Eighteen months ago, such a flurry of activity in the Gulf seemed unlikely. The Obama administration halted drilling and stopped issuing new permits after the explosion of a BP well killed 11 workers and caused the largest oil spill in U.S. history.

But the drilling moratorium was eventually lifted and the Obama administration issued the first new drilling permit in March. Now the Gulf is humming again and oil executives describe it as the world’s best place to drill.

[…]

By early 2012 there will be more rigs in the Gulf designed to drill in its “deep water” — defined as 2,000 feet or deeper — than before the spill.

[…]