The energy consumption numbers are staggering. Few politicians or environmental groups would disagree with the implications as they relate to national defense and the environment.  The United States produces less than 2% of its energy needs yet consumes over 20% of the world's oil. That fact is the basis for most of our energy policy. It factors into almost all major foreign policy decisions. Without a solid energy policy at home and abroad U.S. foreign policy might as well sit on a deck of cards. The Recovery and Reinvestment Act initiated by the Obama administration covered many long term goals. It was full of clean energy initiatives that will roll out in the coming months. Programs like the electric vehicles program.
The Obama administration said they made a decision to proceed with safe offshore drilling on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) . Joined by Secretary Salazar, Obama announced a strategic plan to increase oil and gas exploration domestically. To bridge our energy needs while we wait for clean energy policy to kick in. The new strategy for energy security calls developing oil and gas resources in new areas, such as the Eastern Gulf of Mexico(Florida); increasing oil and gas exploration in frontier areas, such as parts of the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans; and protecting ocean areas that are simply too special to drill, such as Alaska’s Bristol Bay.
The offshore drilling plan has already raised the ire of environmentalists. While its too early to tell whether the green community will put up a big fuss. The Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility is at odds with the idea. Preferring to hold off on restructuring offshore oil and gas lease agreements based on studies done by National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration. They also addressed weaknesses in the comprehensiveness of Obama's drilling policy by not fully including the President’s Council on Environmental Quality in the decision. 
Some Democratic politicians have begun to assess the political dynamics. Some civic groups wonder if the offshore drilling will be a detriment to Florida's travel industry. Secretary made this statement.
“By responsibly expanding conventional energy development and exploration here at home we can strengthen our energy security, create jobs, and help rebuild our economy,” said Salazar. “Our strategy calls for developing new areas offshore, exploring frontier areas, and protecting places that are too special to drill. By providing order and certainty to offshore exploration and development and ensuring we are drilling in the right ways and the right places, we are opening a new chapter for balanced and responsible oil and gas development here at home.”
A few politicos have chimed in that Obama's offshore drilling strategy is a veiled attempt to garner support from GOP oil and gas special interest groups. While it does on the surface play to Republican sentiments on domestic oil and gas drilling. If you believe the reasoning behind this energy initiative then you might not buy into that argument. Rep. John Boehner who is already trying to galvanize Republicans in the House , said the president didn't go far enough.
Democrats in congress from Florida were quick to cautiously support the policy with open ended statements. Many stressing the importance of the drilling remaining far away from Florida's precious beaches. 
Florida Sen. Bill Nelson said the government took his safety concerns into account when coming up with the plan. Rep. Kendrick Meek, a Miami Democrat running for U.S. Senate, said that ``caution must trump expediency.
``Ending our reliance on foreign oil, researching alternative green energy sources, and exploring domestic supplies of oil and natural gas is critical. But the cost for error in Florida is greater than it is for our neighbors,'' Meek said.
In a surprise announcement that seemed to kill two birds with one stone. Easing the green communities skepticism of Obama's commitments to clean energy and at the same time appeasing national security advocates. President Obama revealed yesterday that the Navy will demonstrate the 'Green Hornet,' an F/A-18 Super Hornet powered by a 50/50 biofuel blend, on Earth Day, April 22, at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., as part of its Energy Strategy. 
President Obama said,  "..nations recognize that the country that leads the clean energy economy will be the country that leads the global economy. Meanwhile, here at home, as politicians in Washington debate endlessly whether to act, our own military has determined that we can’t afford not to. 
If there was any doubt about that, you need only look to the F-18 fighter and the light armored vehicle behind me. The Army and Marine Corps have been testing this vehicle on a mixture of biofuels. And this Navy fighter jet – called the Green Hornet – will be flown for the first time in just a few weeks, on Earth Day. If tests go as planned, it will be the first plane ever to fly faster than the speed of sound on a fuel mix that’s half biomass. The Air Force is also testing jet engines using biofuels and had the first successful biofuel-powered test flight just last week. Though I don’t want to drum up any kind of rivalry.

Now, the Pentagon isn’t seeking these alternative fuels just to protect our environment; they are pursuing these homegrown energy sources to protect our national security. Our military leaders recognize the security imperative of increasing the use of alternative fuels, decreasing energy use, and reducing our reliance on imported oil. That’s why the Navy, led by Secretary Mabus who is here today, has set a goal of using 50-percent alternative fuel in all planes, vehicles, and ships in the next ten years. And that’s why the Defense Department has invested $2.7 billion this year alone to improve energy efficiency."
The Environmental Protection Agency has approved clean air permits for Shell Oil to drill exploratory wells in the Chukchi Sea off Alaska's northwest coast This is the first hurdle the oil company must clear. For the Chukchi and Beaufort seas, Salazar said, lease sales would be suspended for at least two years so that additional scientific studies could be conducted and because the estimated benefit is outweighed by potential environmental damage.
However, he retained the 2008 Chukchi lease sale, in which Shell paid $2.1 billion for leases. Information from lease holders' scientific studies, including whether an oil spill can be cleaned up in broken ice, would help him determine whether additional lease sales are needed in the 2012-2017 lease program, Salazar said.

Shell spokesman Curtis Smith said Thursday the delivery of the final Chukchi Sea air permit on the heels of Wednesday's news that the company would continue to have access to offshore acreage obtained in 2008 was excellent news.