Florida off-shore drilling to be voted on

[ecopal]

This Congress ?lame-duck? session is about to use their last week in power to exploit our coasts to make their industry friends happy.

This week the House is voting on a bill (S. 3711) that would benefit the oil industry by opening up more of our coastal areas to off-shore drilling -- starting with Florida.

Despite what the oil industry would have us believe, drilling along Florida's coast won't lower energy prices or decrease our dependence on oil. These new areas would produce an estimated 26 days of oil and 34 days of natural gas at current consumption rates, and not until at least 2013. (Minerals Management Service).


It won't get us any closer to real renewable energy solutions, and it won't do anything to help coastal areas devastated by hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
In fact, they're even more vulnerable to future disasters. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita caused over 9 million gallons of oil to be spilled, US Coast Guard, 5-08-06

Ask your representative to oppose this bill and protect our coasts -- not industry profit.

 

[30A Skunkape]

This Congress ?lame-duck? session is about to use their last week in power to exploit our coasts to make their industry friends happy.

This week the House is voting on a bill (S. 3711) that would benefit the oil industry by opening up more of our coastal areas to off-shore drilling -- starting with Florida.

Despite what the oil industry would have us believe, drilling along Florida's coast won't lower energy prices or decrease our dependence on oil. These new areas would produce an estimated 26 days of oil and 34 days of natural gas at current consumption rates, and not until at least 2013. (Minerals Management Service).


It won't get us any closer to real renewable energy solutions, and it won't do anything to help coastal areas devastated by hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
In fact, they're even more vulnerable to future disasters. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita caused over 9 million gallons of oil to be spilled, US Coast Guard, 5-08-06

Ask your representative to oppose this bill and protect our coasts -- not industry profit.

I must strongly disagree! This bill's purpose is not to open Florida's coast to mass drilling. It also should not be viewed as a way to 'fix' energy problems. It will, however, go a long way toward helping restore miles and miles of wetlands lost over the years to natural and not-so-natural erosion. Do the link:

http://www.slld.net/csimage.html

Few people have any concept of why Louisiana's wetlands are vital, and it has nothing to do with finding a nice spot to boil crawfish and drink beer. A whopping amount of petroleum we all use is either extracted from or refined in our state and our waters. The royalties we recieve in return are criminally low in light of the fact that we live with the consequences of said activity. Jobs are great, but unsightly refineries, canals and pipelines that facilitate petroleum flow demolishing wetland ecology and the consequence of losing your hurricane barrier sucks. Really sucks. And we have the ability to reverse the wetland loss if we get the revenue to do so. That revenue will be provided by this bill. In my opinion, it is terribly irresponsible of you to make the statement that "it won't do anything to help coastal areas devastated by hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
In fact, they're even more vulnerable to future disasters." That is false and wrong. Will it solve our dependency on fossil fuels? Nope. Will the big oil/Bush kabal benefit? I don't know. What I can tell you for a fact is Bush isn't too crazy about this concept of increasing our royalties. Now to be fair, there will be new areas open to drilling. But it isn't like you will see platforms wrapping the state from Pensacola to Jacksonville. I have included a map of the coast and how it will impacted. And remember, these things will be 100 miles offshore. 100 miles! That makes a big spill incident that has any sort of beach impact mighty unlikely. By the way, I am willing to bet the USCG figure on the amount of oil spilled in the storm is in large part explained by a Murphy oil refinery that was demolished in St Bernard Parish that lost all of its oil...it wasn't like every platform in the Gulf was erupting Texas tea into the ocean and ruining everything.

I encourage everyone to contact there congresspeople to support this bill!

 

[ecopal]

...This bill's ..... will, however, go a long way toward helping restore miles and miles of wetlands lost over the years to natural and not-so-natural erosion. ........ And remember, these things will be 100 miles offshore. 100 miles! That makes a big spill incident that has any sort of beach impact mighty unlikely. ...

You actually think that allowing off shore drilling will save the wetlands?

Are you not aware of the detrimental environmental impact of drilling in the Gulf?

You are not concerned about Gulf coast drilling 100 miles off shore?

Well so much for your credibility.

 

[30A Skunkape]

You actually think that allowing off shore drilling will save the wetlands?

Are you not aware of the detrimental environmental impact of drilling in the Gulf?

You are not concerned about Gulf coast drilling 100 miles off shore?

Well so much for your credibility.

Hows this for credibility;I actually live on the coast and have seen with my own eyes what happens to wetlands when there is drilling and petroleum processing. It is terribly naive to think this is going to stop anytime soon. So, we might as well use the $$$ to RESTORE a wetland, as is provided for in this bill, rather than get all worked-up about the Bush family and big oil. Seriously, where are your facts regarding damaging Florida wetlands?

 

[30A Skunkape]

You actually think that allowing off shore drilling will save the wetlands?

Are you not aware of the detrimental environmental impact of drilling in the Gulf?

You are not concerned about Gulf coast drilling 100 miles off shore?

Well so much for your credibility.

Furthermore, this conservative rag seems to favor my position. Credibility indeed:funn:
http://travel2.nytimes.com/2006/10/23/opinion/23mon1.html

 

[ecopal]

Hows this for credibility;I actually live on the coast and have seen with my own eyes what happens to wetlands when there is drilling and petroleum processing. .....

You want more off shore drilling which you already know is harmful to the environment?

Why would you support more off shore drilling when you already know its ill effects?

Your own observations reveal your faulty logic .

Googling for articles to support your untenable position is just a desperate attempt to gain credibility.

I support restoration of the wetlands especially around New Orleans with a comprehensive environmental plan but absolutely not by the ?robbing Peter to pay Paul? approach you are suggesting.

 

[30A Skunkape]

You want more off shore drilling which you already know is harmful to the environment?

Why would you support more off shore drilling when you already know its ill effects?

Your own observations reveal your faulty logic .

Googling for articles to support your untenable position is just a desperate attempt to gain credibility.

I support restoration of the wetlands especially around New Orleans with a comprehensive environmental plan but absolutely not by the ?robbing Peter to pay Paul? approach you are suggesting.

What I failed to communicate was that the drilling is not what causes the problems I have observed;it is the cutting of canals and pipline systems through the marsh that has been the killer. This isn't even on the table for Florida. In fact, the oil platforms are a pretty interesting little ecosystem in and of themselves, nothing short of an artificial reef. I have fished many times around these structures and have yet to see any black ooze or slicks. There are plenty of fish however, and all the little critters that are below them on the food chain that require clean, clear water to live. The concept that the rigs destroy everything is bunk. And I would be careful about accusing people of Googling stuff...your original post looks really similar to something I saw on an environmental action website...but I know you're above cutting and pasting, right? :roll:

 

[Bob]

Skunkey, What the heck! You like Gulf drilling money because it will help your backyard. You know those wells out there don't spew rose water. When the oil globs show up in Walton County it will be too late. Louisiana is a perfect example of what the oil industry can do for a state environmentally in the name of jobs. Come on now....come back from the dark side. Pretty please.

 

[30A Skunkape]

Skunkey, What the heck! You like Gulf drilling money because it will help your backyard. You know those wells out there don't spew rose water. When the oil globs show up in Walton County it will be too late. Louisiana is a perfect example of what the oil industry can do for a state environmentally in the name of jobs. Come on now....come back from the dark side. Pretty please.

Bob, we all want a nice clean environment. But I think it is somewhat extreme to assume that rigs going up in the gulf will result in globs of oil mixing with pristine SOWAL sand. Do just a little research into rig diving and rig fishing and you might be interested in what you find. Like I said above, from what I have seen, the rigs themselves are NOT the cause of Louisiana's coastal problems, it is the canals and piplines that have been etched into the marsh. The impact of oil globs and such is nil...we use these waters recreationally and to think there is a permanent oil slick is flat out WRONG! The bill in congress does not allow any sort of onshore refining, processing, or shipping of the petroleum.

Furthermore, I don't 'like gulf drilling money because it will help my backyard'. That is silly. The amount of petrochemical activity that goes on in south Louisiana would blow your mind. To lose it in the next Katrina would hurt this whole country. We bemoan our dependence on foreign oil, yet we want to fart around while playing Russian roulette with the country's busiest port, a source of so much of the seafood and sugar we all love and the domestic chemical industry. It is criminal to play politics with this in my opinion. Bottom line-rigs go up in Florida waters and odds are you will never even realize it. Louisiana's coast is restored and the nation is all that much more secure. If being on the 'dark side' means being correct, sorry, I am not leaving this camp

 

[BlueMtnBeachVagrant]

Look....if there is a massive oil leak from a drilling explosion, take a peek at the new industry we could have right here in the USA. There's always a bright side:

An attendant scraped oil off Ramil Mutukhov, 25, as he bathed in pure crude at Health Center in Naftalan. “It’s wonderful,” Mr. Mutukhov said.

Bathing in Black Gold for Health and Profit in Azerbaijan