Barack Obama Won't Even Let People Drill for Oil Anymore 2.72K Jim Newell 12/01/10 01:17PM Filed to: the end the end oil spill Offshore drilling gulf of mexico Gettypic Tweetg Tweetv Barack Obama pledged in March to expand offshore oil drilling. Shortly thereafter, BP spilled 172 million gallons of oil into the water. So now drilling on both coasts and the eastern Gulf of Mexico will be re-banned for years. Hooray!