Catch 22 on Oli Drilling in the Gulf

Open Letter to Rep. Neugebauer:

EIN News says, "Rigs in Gulf Ready to Drill, But There's Little Work. Although the ban on drilling in the Gulf was officially lifted weeks ago, the top regulator for offshore drilling acknowledged that permits have been slower in coming as the government stiffened safety requirements and intensified its reviews. (nytimes.com)".

Middle East suppliers are not stupid. When they see things like this, they naturally take advantage of a marketing opportunity. My gasoline price just increased 20 cents a gallon in the last several days. We sorely need domestic oil production, but the Administration continues to deny it to the voting public. Let's hope for more turnaround in the next election.

For a better explanation to the casual observer, drilling companies are allowed to drill for oil in the Gulf, but they can't drill without permits, which they can't get. This is a typical government Catch 22. Catch-22s are often spoken with regard to rules, regulations, procedures, or situations in which one has knowledge of being or becoming a victim but has no control over it occurring.

I guess the basic question is why do you and other members of Congress allow this stupid situation to exist?