Oil Drilling Debate Rages on, 20 Years After the Valdez Spill
President Obama has an unusual opening to shape the nation's offshore drilling policy
In the case of the Exxon Valdez spill, the impacts were significant not just at the time but in some places are still being felt. Though several species of affected wildlife have fully recovered, others—including sea otters and clams—have not. Meanwhile, more than 15,000 gallons of oil are still believed to be trapped in one of the coastal areas where the spill occurred.
Testifying before Congress recently, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said that "the administration is not opposed to production in the offshore" but wants to include oil drilling as part of a well-deliberated, long-term energy plan. Just last week, in fact, Salazar presided over a lease sale of some 34 million acres in the Gulf of Mexico that had been off limits to exploration. That, however, has done little to assuage skeptical Republicans who worry that the administration might move to severely limit offshore production or reimpose federal restrictions.
The stage to watch: Over the next several months, Salazar and his department will be working on a five-year plan specifying what coastal areas will be auctioned off to oil companies in coming years. Among the places Salazar plants to visit for public comment: Alaska.
Reader Comments
We need to be able to drill
I received a recent letter from my congressman. It said we need to be independent of oil sheiks, and stop giving money to our enemies. The only way to be independent is to put all options on the table. This includes drilling for oil, natural gas, the bad word nuclear, clean coal and other alternative sources.
I am sick and tired of the environmentalist dictating a return to the stone age. The only way they will be happy is that way. Well the majority of Americans do not want a return to the stone age. They believe all options should be explored for our benefit. Since when do the few decide for the many?
We often hear how we are going to lose one species or another. If an organism isn't able to adapt then it should become extinct, and let another organism develop to fill the void. Are our environmentalists playing God? Possibly? According to Darwin things must adapt to their environment in order to survive. Adaptations give species the most viability.
Sometimes environments change quickly and species, which do not adapt, become extinct. Over 90% of the species that have been on this planet have become extinct. The heartiest survive, because they can rapidly adapt. Stagnation prevents change, and actually hinders natural selection.
Right now we have a proposal in front of congress. It is our energy bill, which will increase the cost of energy for every U S citizen. Al Gore got to testify in front of the House of Representatives. A scientist who would have destroyed his argument with actual science was denied testimony. Our elected officials did not want to see poor Al be embarrassed by actual science.
If you want actual facts on AWG they are not all in right now. If you want cheap energy in order to get our economy growing, then all options need to be used. While we do need to lower our dependence on fossil fuels, it should not be done by people who need to get re-elected. It should be done by open debate with actual science.
We need to be able to drill
I received a recent letter from my congressman. It said we need to be independent of oil sheiks, and stop giving money to our enemies. The only way to be independent is to put all options on the table. This includes drilling for oil, natural gas, the bad word nuclear, clean coal and other alternative sources.
I am sick and tired of the enviromentalist dictating a return to the stone age. The only way they will be happy is that way. Well the majority of Americans do not want a return to the stone age. They believe all options should be explored for our benefit. Since when do the few decide for the many?
We often hear how we are going to lose one species or another. If an organism isn't able to adapt then it should become extinct, and let another organism develop to fill the void. Are our enviromentalist playing God? Possibly? According to Darwin things must adapt to their enviroment in order to survive. Adaptations give species the most viability.
Sometimes enviroments change quickly and species, which do not adapt, become extinct. Over 90% of the species that have been on this planet have become extinct. The most hearty survive, because they can rapidly adapt. Stagnation prevents change, and actually hinders natural selection.
Right now we have a proposal infront of congress. It is our energy bill, which will increase the cost of energy for every U S citizen. Al Gore got to testify infront of the House of Representatives. A scientist who would have destroyed his arguement with actual science was denied testimoney. Our elected officials did not want to see poor Al be embarrased by actual science.
If you want actual facts on AWG they are not all in right now. If you want cheap energy in order to get our economy growing, then all options need to be used. While we do need to lower our dependence on fossil fuels, it should not be done by people who need to get re-elected. It should be done by open debate with actual science.
We need to be able to drill
I received a recent letter from my congressman. It said we need to be independent of oil sheiks, and stop giving money to our enemies. The only way to be independent is to put all options on the table. This includes drilling for oil, natural gas, the bad word nuclear, clean coal and other alternative sources.
I am sick and tired of the enviromentalist dictating a return to the stone age. The only way they will be happy is that way. Well the majority of Americans do not want a return to the stone age. They believe all options should be explored for our benefit. Since when do the few decide for the many?
We often hear how we are going to lose one species or another. If an organism isn't able to adapt then it should become extinct, and let another organism develop to fill the void. Are our enviromentalist playing God? Possibly? According to Darwin things must adapt to their enviroment in order to survive. Adaptations give species the most viability.
Sometimes enviroments change quickly and species, which do not adapt, become extinct. Over 90% of the species that have been on this planet have become extinct. The most hearty survive, because they can rapidly adapt. Stagnation prevents change, and actually hinders natural selection.
Right now we have a proposal infront of congress. It is our energy bill, which will increase the cost of energy for every U S citizen. Al Gore got to testify infront of the House of Representatives. A scientist who would have destroyed his arguement with actual science was denied testimoney. Our elected officials did not want to see poor Al be embarrased by actual science.
If you want actual facts on AWG they are not all in right now. If you want cheap energy in order to get our economy growing, then all options need to be used. While we do need to lower our dependence on fossil fuels, it should not be done by people who need to get re-elected. It should be done by open debate with actual science.
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