Despite the recent Deepwater Horizon disaster, offshore drilling is an opportunity that we cannot afford to squander, as our energy security and economic growth depend on it.

Despite the consequences of the Deepwater Horizon accident, domestic offshore drilling is an important part of America's supply of reliable and affordable energy.

Attitudes on the environment have shifted significantly since 2010. While Obama continues to receive high marks on environmental issues, his marks on energy are more negative. Americans said they would prioritize economic growth over the environment even if it means the environment suffers to some extent.

President Obama's decision to issue a blanket moratorium on deepwater oil drilling, inaccurately claiming the policy was recommended by scientists, underscores his fundamental misunderstanding of the role of science in policymaking.

Public opinion expert Karlyn Bowman, with researcher Andrew Rugg, explores trends from major pollsters on the environment, offshore drilling, gas prices, nuclear power, and global warming.

There are two things the president must do in the coming days to increase public confidence in his administration's response to this crisis.

The hysteria of the media and the political class over the Deepwater spill could have second-order environmental impacts that could be cumulatively worse than the spill itself, both for the Gulf and for other environmental arenas.

The Obama administration had the opportunity to prepare for an offshore drilling calamity, but by failing to do so, it must take the lion's share of the blame for the disastrous oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico becoming a catastrophe.