After reading it, however, I would like to know how many believe this will make onshore drilling much more important and, subsequently, drive signing bonuses and royalty rates higher?
http://www.windstream.net/wind/portal/NewsChannel.aspx?ArticleID=D9G8OJ480&CatID=TopHeadlines
I feel as if the spill will have no effect on onshore, lower 48 exploration. The offshore players are there for a reason – the huge potential reserves that can be exploited with minimal wells are located offshore (or in non-mature provinces), not onshore US.
The players will look for opportunities elsewhere that fit their investment model.