Why We Aren’t Producing Enough Domestic Energy; several links on the subject

Heritage  "President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney had a heated exchange about energy in the most recent debate. The President repeated his refrain that oil and gas production is the highest it has been in eight years, but Romney was right to point out that this was driven by production on private and state lands.
"The vast majority of America’s new oil and gas production is happening on private lands in states like North Dakota, Alaska and Texas. The environmental review and permitting process on federal lands, however, is burdensome and keeps resources untapped."

http://obamacartoon.blogspot.com/2012/10/middle-east-turmoil-domestic.html

...."How did North Dakota pass Alaska and California to become the second-largest producer of domestic crude oil? Answer: sensible state regulations, advancements in technology, and the ability to drill on private lands.

"In addition to the much-heralded energy security that domestic energy could bring, these efforts produce jobs. North Dakota’s boom has put people to work. The state has the lowest unemployment rate in the nation, at just 3 percent."

How Barack Obama's Fed Policy Fuels the Oil Shock

"While the president's assertion that "there are no quick fixes to this problem" is correct, three years have passed without a policy response. To date, American producers are limited by several restrictions: the moratorium on several areas of offshore drilling (Alaska, east and west coasts), uncertainty in taxation policies, and energy infrastructure shortfalls."

Federal laws governing energy production  "Most BLM regulations that govern the BLM's oil and gas leasing program may be found in Title 43 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 3100. Under these laws, the BLM has the authority to approve or deny oil and gas leases or to impose environmental restrictions on leases when appropriate. Forest Service oil and gas regulations are found in Title 36 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 228, Section E."

Forbes on the last debate: Did Obama Really Take Away Those Oil Leases?
"Obama let loose with this statement that had me scratching my head."...

....“It’s like you rent an apartment for $20 million and the landlord refuses to give you the keys to it,” said Erik Milito, director of exploration and production at the American Petroleum Institute. “Then he turns around and complains about it.”