First, the black hole in drilling standards highlighted by my colleague Elliot Clark of Corporate Responsibility Magazine.

FORBES: The BP Oil Spill: Unexpected Consequences

We remain confident in our drilling expertise and company standards, which are built upon a foundation of redundant safety systems to closely monitor pressure within the wellbore.

FORBES: Shell To Feds: We're Already Safe, Let Us Drill

The lack of standards for deep water drilling risk management will spawn a litter of over-reaching regulation.

FORBES: The BP Oil Spill: Unexpected Consequences

The Energy and Climate Change Committee is looking at the British government's refusal to impose a moratorium on deepwater drilling in Britain and whether existing safety and environmental standards need updating in light of the massive spill.

CNN: BP's Hayward: Oil spill wasn't because of cost-cutting

By concentrating on areas where considerable progress is possible (rather than on such neuralgic issues as drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge or increased CAFE fuel-efficiency standards), America - and in particular its gas-guzzling transportation sector - could be made significantly less reliant on oil supplied by unstable or hostile regimes.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Securing America's energy needs

President Obama's drilling moratorium officially includes only projects in more than 500 feet of water, but the U.S. Minerals Management Service, a division of the Interior Department that regulates deepwater drilling, has held up shallow-water permits, too, until it can review safety standards.

WSJ: Drilling Ban Reverberates Through Industry

As the Cuomo administration has more recently pursued an agenda that includes rewriting state law regarding abortions to codify it with federal standards, and has delayed a decision on whether to allow a controversial form of natural-gas drilling in the state, voters have come to believe they perceive a shift in the governor's ideology.

WSJ: Backing For Cuomo Declines Upstate