In order to understand how the political landscape of offshore oil drilling shifted, we need to look no further than the year 2008 when "Drill baby, drill" hit headlines, and when both President Bush and Congress allowed moratoriums on offshore drilling to lapse. John Decock recently posted a blog to Huffington Post that keenly articulates how just one summer, and a silly slogan, altered an entire political landscape.
Unfortunately, most Americans do not realize the threat of offshore drilling. When Bush lifted the ban on offshore drilling, his administration didn't waste any time creating a plan that would lease vast amounts of our coastlines to new drilling. While the Obama administration is still considering how they will "incorporate offshore energy," environmentalists and the general public need to be concerned and aware.
The fact that President Obama asked us to make "tough decisions about offshore oil and gas" in his State of the Union Address should give us great pause. For those of us living in California, we need to be even more concerned considering Assemblymember Chuck DeVore (R-Irvine) recently introduced legislation that calls for opening all California waters to drilling.
In order to increase awareness about the threat of offshore oil drilling (with the ultimate goal of defeating the DeVore bill and restoring federal moratoriums) the Surfrider Foundation and Environment California are holding community forums around the State. For decades our coastlines were protected from drilling. Now, it's incumbent upon environmentalists and local communities alike to begin the drumbeat and start a movement of concerned citizens who will speak up against new offshore oil drilling.
At the forums, local communities will learn what steps can be taken to apply political pressure in the right places to ensure our coastlines are kept safe. It's impossible to forget the images of the large spill that took place in Santa Barbara in 1969 and the recent spill in Australia. A major goal of the forum is to inspire local communities to defend their coastline and become better prepared to fight this environmental and political battle.
Our oceans and beaches are vital recreational, economic, and ecological treasures that will be polluted by an increase in offshore oil drilling. Instead of advocating for transient and environmentally harmful ways to meet America's oil needs we need to develop a sustainable "energy portfolio" that includes renewable sources and energy conservation.
Please join us at the forum in Los Angeles on March 17. Climate change and other environmental problems associated with burning fossil fuels are not waiting for us to rebuild our "energy portfolio." We need concerned citizens to help shift the paradigm of relying on fossil fuels. Help us keep potential catastrophic oil spills and an industrialized coastline at bay.
Community Forum Information for LA:
March 17, 2010 7-8pm
Santa Monica Library--Fairview Branch:
2101 Ocean Park Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA 90405
We will hold forums in Northern California on the following dates: April 19 (Monterey,) April 20 (Santa Cruz) and April 21 (San Francisco). Venues TBD.
To learn more about Surfrider Foundation's Not the Answer Campaign visit here; and to review our recent fact sheet on offshore oil drilling go here.
Here is one of the best articles I have read outlining how 'start-up delays' and the actual amount of oil under the sea-floor are not going to "save us" or bolster our economy as promised.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/06/20/new_offshore_drilling_not_a_quick_fix_analysts_say/?page=2
A recent study (that also bolsters the arguments from the Boston Globe) says that the amount of oil we can get from offshore drilling will not last us long. If we tap into offshore oil there will be environmental damage, potential spills and industrialized coastline that WILL impact our economy.
Coastal tourism and recreation bring 3 times the amount of money compared to offshore oil production.
We need to realistic about new drilling "solving our problems".
I purpose we take potential money related to " start-up costs" and new drilling expenditures and invest it in renewable energy!
Sorry but we could never drill our way to energy independence; the US consumes 20.7 million barrels a day and even under the most optimistic scenarios could only increase production an additional 2 to 4 million barrels a day. New drilling will not affect the price of oil before 2030 either; and offshore reserves would provide us with 920 days or 18 months of supply at our current rate of consumption. Hence, a major rethinking here is imperative.
We need to kick the habit in our personal behavior and start investing in energy resources that won't threaten our coasts with seismic blasts, erosion, blowouts, toxic drilling muds, spills, leaky pipes, air pollution, visual blight, and then spews carbon into the atmosphere to boot.
We need an energy policy that considers the health of the planet and the health of our society, economy, and personal welfare are intimately intertwined; a sustainable planet will not be inexpensive, but will most definitely be worth it...
Jack Eidt
Wild Heritage Planners
McCain/Palin in 2008 pulled ahead of Obama for a few weeks when “drill baby drill†took hold and McCain said he would build 50 new Nuclear Plants in response to Global Warming.
Obama retook the lead by co-opting that message by basically saying ME TOO over and over. He repeated support for new Nuclear plants and more US oil from new areas in the State of the Union speech recently.
Fast forward to 2012.
If no new areas are being drilled and no new Nuclear plants have broken ground and Palin (or anyone else, he is now in a tie with a generic GOP opponent) running against him says: “Vote for me and I’ll open new areas for drilling (drill baby drill) and build new Nuclear power plantsâ€, what chance will Obama have?
He can’t say Vote for me because that’s a bad idea, because that’s what he said he would do.
He can’t say I tried but it’s too hard, because that’s admitting he is not up to the job.
I cannot think of anything Obama could say that would save him.
I do not think “Vote for me I’ll do that too (I really, really mean it this time) will help him.
You own governor, Arnold, has included this revenue in his state budget.
There is enough oil off your shore to balance your state budget if you chose to us it.
The typical answers here are, “we need to use less oil not more†or “burning oil is bad for the environmentâ€.
Well no argument there, but I challenge anyone to explain how stopping drilling in the US accomplishes either of those goals.
If the US was an isolated country (no exports or imports), then you could make a reasonable argument that opposing drilling would lead to less petroleum use in America.
But we do not live in an isolated country. When you stop Americans from getting US oil, you do not change in any way how much petroleum we use!
You only increase imports of oil.
That increases how much money we send abroad to countries we do not like!
That exports both our money and our JOBS!
That is the only effect of stopping drilling here, it makes us poorer, we have less money for health care or education or anything else, and if you don’t believe that, google “balance of paymentsâ€.
Why would any sane American be FOR that?
Most people realize this simple economic truth and they are mad about it.