Environmental activists have done a good job of scaring much of the U.S. population into thinking that drilling offshore for oil and gas will automatically lead to oil slicks lapping onto pristine beaches of Florida, the Gulf Coast or East Coast. Surfers in California publish blogs weekly warning of the dangers of offshore drilling.
And it's worked. Drilling on our Outer Continental Shelf, waters within 200 miles of our coast, has been off-limits to drilling since the early 1980's because of Congressional and Presidential bans. However, drilling could start just 50 miles off the Florida coast very soon .... by China and India, which have bought leases from Cuba, which had those rights under a treaty signed with the U.S. in 1977.
So drivers in China and India might well see a drop in the price of gasoline soon as a result of their new oil supply, while American drivers won't get any break since American companies aren't allowed to drill offshore. And do we think that the Chinese or Indian companies will be more responsible in preventing oil spills than American companies would be? No. Seems like a lose-lose situation to me that needs to be communicated more effectively to allow our own oil and gas companies the opportunity to help our own country be more energy-independent.
Comments (2)
It will take nearly 20 years for China or India to see any of the benefits of those drilling sites off the coast of Florida. American legislators have begun to allow these oil companies to drill in Alaskan nature preserves, isn’t that a concession? American oil companies have established one of the biggest pipelines in the world crossing through Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, and Afghanistan and these will never benefit American consumers’ only American oil companies. So, I don’t think the problem starts with surfers in California.
Posted by John | September 12, 2006 7:40 AM
Posted on September 12, 2006 07:40
I'm not an expert in oil drilling or refining, but as a resident of Miami, Florida, I am keenly aware of the efforts being done in this state to preserve the natural beauty of the coastline and its bays. Personally, I'm shocked that the media hasn't made more of this issue locally. Our politicians and environmentalists are already overwhelmed dealing with important preservation issues in this state. To think that a country like Cuba, whose leader has little interest in preserving anything but his own power and legacy, is overseeing/managing a process as potentially harmful as drilling, is very frightening.
Floridians and our politicians should wake up to this threat and demand oversight of this process by third parties to ensure that their process is up to OUR standards and that we are not opening up our prestine coasts and delicate wildlife to potentially devestating damage.
If you think we can trust China and Cuba to take responsibility for damange to "our" coastline and "our" wildlife, piensa otra vez!
Posted by Lisa Mozloom | September 26, 2006 8:10 AM
Posted on September 26, 2006 08:10