No offshore drilling

[full time]

I gotta claim BS on this line! Please show me how the opposition does nothing to protect our shores. This is absurd. Here is just one group of opposition that does a lot to protect your shores.

http://www.surfrider.org/whatwedo.asp

I think we have a misunderstanding. When I said "opposition", I wasn't singling out a group of people for ridicule. The surfers clean up garbage, save struggling swimmers, etc, ect., - good people. I was pointing out that opposition to drilling is not protecting the shore. In fact, it may put the coast at greater risk because the highest risk comes from shipping. That's why greenroom provided the link to the largest spills which were mostly shipping accidents. We have fuel barges and oil tankers passing off our coast daily. If one sinks, we could have a serious problem, all without ever lifting the ban on drilling. The fact is that transporting oil by underwater pipelines is much safer than shipping via an oil tanker. Greenroon even admitted as much. You need to do some research and talk to some engineers (my family and friends' families are loaded with them) to try to understand better the Gulf drilling process. You guys are scaring people about tarballs and rigs all over the horizon and what is being bantered about is very misleading.

 

[full time]

I second that! I all so see that you read stuff from a guy who doesn't have any clue to what is going on of the coastline of Louisiana.

It seems to me that he might know a great deal more than you are willing to acknowledge. A little advice - focus your efforts on ensuring the least intrusive, safest and most environmentally friendly drilling process for the Florida coast. Push that Florida receive a large cut of the poceeds and that those proceeds be used to position Florida as a leader in alternative energy for the future. I'll be alot more impressed with thoses efforts than seeing you stomp your feet and yell NO to something that is badly needed by the country at large and is going to occur regardless of your protestations - my final word.

http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/Read.aspx?GUID=D6D498F0-3A9C-47AB-8F5D-D029420EFFFC

 

[CPort]

This has nothing to do with offshore drilling.

When I was growing up we had a oil well in our backyard ,well it was about 1/2 mile from the house. It was soo exciting! In the middle of nowhere there were bright lights lots of activity etc. It was so cool to ride my bike back there.One oili truck crashed in the wooden bridge over Strong River.The driver jumped to safety and was ok more or less. Oil was big business back then in rural Simpson County,my daddy and his cousin spent days reading the Congressional Record and dreaming of getting rich. They did hit oil and we all got our little part ,it played out in about 20 years.
Back to the bridge,when a concret one was bult, i got to cut the ribbon!It was freezing cold and I remember them serving bbq.My mama was confident that it was cold enough to eat the pork and all was right with the world.

 

[Bobby J]

I think we have a misunderstanding. When I said "opposition", I wasn't singling out a group of people for ridicule. The surfers clean up garbage, save struggling swimmers, etc, ect., - good people. I was pointing out that opposition to drilling is not protecting the shore. In fact, it may put the coast at greater risk because the highest risk comes from shipping. That's why greenroom provided the link to the largest spills which were mostly shipping accidents. We have fuel barges and oil tankers passing off our coast daily. If one sinks, we could have a serious problem, all without ever lifting the ban on drilling. The fact is that transporting oil by underwater pipelines is much safer than shipping via an oil tanker. Greenroon even admitted as much. You need to do some research and talk to some engineers (my family and friends' families are loaded with them) to try to understand better the Gulf drilling process. You guys are scaring people about tarballs and rigs all over the horizon and what is being bantered about is very misleading.

Do you really think this is just about tar balls. Do you also believe that by drilling in the gulf and transporting oil underground will stop oil tanker transportation? We will have both. I think you are really missing the point and your engineer friends are misleading you. I believe it was a group of engineers that helped design this friendly outflow of sewage in Miami. It was supposed to be safe as well.

 

[full time]

Do you really think this is just about tar balls. Do you also believe that by drilling in the gulf and transporting oil underground will stop oil tanker transportation? We will have both. I think you are really missing the point and your engineer friends are misleading you. I believe it was a group of engineers that helped design this friendly outflow of sewage in Miami. It was supposed to be safe as well.

That's a crappy picture! You're a reasonable and intelligent guy with an unreasonable slightly considered view on this particular issue. After the drilling commences and you see it is not what you envisioned, we'll talk over coffee and a copy of this thread which I'm printing for posterity. Cheers friend!

 

[Miss Critter]

Full time, I am from Louisiana and have been fishing off the coast many times. The place looks like the end of the world from a Mad Max movie. Yeah, the fishing is great, but there's NO WAY I would swim in that water. And yeah, the oil companies promise to clean this and take care of that and guess what - they don't. And do you know why they don't? Because they don't have to. Raping and pillaging is alive and well, regardless of the sunshine and rainbow propaganda they push with their commercials.

Sorry, my friend, but you are the one who has been misled. Please join us in the 21st century. I promise it's not as scary as you seem to think it is.

 

[full time]

Full time, I am from Louisiana and have been fishing off the coast many times. The place looks like the end of the world from a Mad Max movie. Yeah, the fishing is great, but there's NO WAY I would swim in that water. And yeah, the oil companies promise to clean this and take care of that and guess what - they don't. And do you know why they don't? Because they don't have to. Raping and pillaging is alive and well, regardless of the sunshine and rainbow propaganda they push with their commercials.

Sorry, my friend, but you are the one who has been misled. Please join us in the 21st century. I promise it's not as scary as you seem to think it is.

Louisiana has been drilling for 6 decades (when drilling was a straight up and down exercise and no directional drilling) and the muddy Mississippi flows into the Gulf south of Louisiana. The Mad Max analogy for this area is hogwash unless the river changes course, and we have to use century old technology (which we might if we don't start drilling more and develop a comprehensive and coherent alternative energy policy). Regardless, the fact that you're fishing off of the Louisiana coast says tons about the lack of an environmental catastrophe, the existence of which you seem inclined to project.

 

[Miss Critter]

Louisiana has been drilling for 6 decades (when drilling was a straight up and down exercise and no directional drilling) and the muddy Mississippi flows into the Gulf south of Louisiana. The Mad Max analogy for this area is hogwash unless the river changes course, and we have to use century old technology (which we might if we don't start drilling more and develop a comprehensive and coherent alternative energy policy). Regardless, the fact that you're fishing off of the Louisiana coast says tons about the lack of an environmental catastrophe, the existence of which you seem inclined to project.

Sweetie, there's a reason those folks fish there and vacation here. 'Nuf said. I'm done.

 

[Bob]

I agree with you that Americans have become dependent on others and it was not always like that nor should it be. I also agree that hydrogen fuel cells are the wave of the future for powering our cars although too unstable and inefficient at the moment, both of which I understand can be overcome. What you need to understand and consider is that it takes energy to separate hydrogen from oxygen and that energy must come from somewhere, whether nuclear (cheaper than solar and wind) or fossil fuels. Solar is possible but what do you do when its cloudy? It also takes time and money (a great deal of it) to convert your infrastructure to support alternative energies. I think we should invest the time and money now to work through the problems and begin implementation of our most promising (economically and environmentally) alternatives. We can also drill for oil safely off of the Florida and California coast and should do so immediately. Galveston is a convenient comparison but the tarballs are the result of currents that push oil bubbling up from reserves in the Gulf or seeping from ships or barges onto its beaches and probably has little or nothing to do with oil production on the rigs off of the Texas/Louisiana coast. I'll remind you that a bad oil spill in the panhandle did previously occur the result of a passing vessel. Don't think that refusing to drill insulates Florida beaches from a big mess (just ask New Orleans that had a collision involving an oil barge on the Mississippi River right off the French Quarter). I admire the concern for our waters and I love the thrill of catching a wave or watching someone else do it, but don't be so close-minded that the entire country suffers for surfers. Talk to some engineers (not affiliated with the surf groups) and gain a little more knowledge - it might alleviate some of your concerns.

drilling off florida is the feel good way to think you are part of the solution. i would rather pay 5 bucks a gallon than risk our environment for any incremental short term gain. Drill the hell out of Alaska. The citizenry up there all have their hand in the oil companie's back pocket.... 100 years from now, folks will laugh that we were arguing the small picture and ignoring the big picture right up to the moment it hit our pocketbooks. All you drill em up Repubs would stand mute and hop back in your SUVs headed for the golf course if oil went down to 70 a barrel. Your concerns only extend to the tips of your noses. We should all be paying 8.00/ gallon, because then the government would incentivise business to make the necessary massive infrastructure buildout to shift over to another fuel. cng/hydrogen/ take your pick

 

[Bobby J]

That's a crappy picture! You're a reasonable and intelligent guy with an unreasonable slightly considered view on this particular issue. After the drilling commences and you see it is not what you envisioned, we'll talk over coffee and a copy of this thread which I'm printing for posterity. Cheers friend!

I look forward to the Java and I pray you are right. Just not sure how we can risk the unknown. If we must look at history for our answers, drilling seems to be a poor decision. That is simply fact. Are you sure you are not the one being misled or the guy with an unreasonable slightly considered view on this particular issue?

Now the oil industry has found a new strategy ? exploit Americans? distress over high gas prices by claiming that offshore drilling will make gas cheaper. It?s not true, but, unfortunately, it?s working. Some of our elected officials are wavering, even backing the industry. And let?s face it ? it?s hard for an elected official to stand up against a lie that their constituents believe.

Your elected officials need to know you don?t buy the big oil lie, and you still want them to draw a line in the sand against offshore drilling in Florida

The oil industry is making record profits, proving it?s not a problem of availability; it?s a problem of greed. It banked $44 billion in just three months and spent $80 million on lobbyists to call for more drilling and to oppose real solutions. Oil companies have access to 68 million acres that they haven?t started to drill on yet. And the Department of Energy says offshore drilling will not make gas cheaper before 2030, and even then, the difference would be negligible.

Offshore drilling will not reduce gas prices!

BTW, we already have world class fishing.