Off shore drilling, the rest of the story

I saw a reference to this in my cousin’s last weekly letter, and thought it quite interesting. You may not agree, but let’s agree we’re only hearing one side from the environmentalists. Offshore Oil Drilling: An Environmental Bonanza By Humberto Fontova. Excerpts:

"Environmentalists" wake up in the middle of the night sweating and whimpering about offshore oil platforms only because they've never seen what's under them. Louisiana produces almost 30 per cent of America's commercial fisheries. Only Alaska (ten times the size of the Bayou state) produces slightly more. So obviously, Louisiana's coastal waters are immensely rich and prolific in seafood. These same coastal waters contain 3,200 of the roughly 3,700 offshore production platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. These oil production platforms off the Bayou state's coasts also extract 80 percent of the oil and 72 percent of the natural gas produced in the Continental U.S., without causing a single major oil spill in half a century of this process. This record stands despite dozens of hurricanes -- including the two most destructive in North American history, Camille and Katrina -- repeatedly battering the drilling and production structures. So for those interested in evidence over hysterics, by simply looking bayou-ward, a lesson in the "environmental perils" of offshore oil drilling presents itself very clearly. Fashionable Florida, on the other hand, which zealously prohibits offshore oil drilling, had its gorgeous "Emerald Coast" panhandle beaches soiled by an ugly oil spill in 1976. This spill, as almost all oil spills, resulted from the transportation of oil -- not from the extraction of oil. Assuming such as Hugo Chavez deign to keep selling us oil, we'll need increasingly more and we'll need to keep transporting it stateside -- typically to refineries in Louisiana and Texas. This path takes those tankers (as the one in 1976) smack in front of Florida's panhandle beaches. Recall the Valdez, the Cadiz, the Argo Merchant. These were all tanker spills. The production of oil is relatively clean and safe. Again, it's the transportation that presents the greatest risk. And even these spills (though hyped hysterically as environmental catastrophes) always play out as minor blips, those pictures of oil-soaked seagulls notwithstanding. To the horror and anguish of professional greenies, Alaska's Prince William Sound recovered completely. More birds get fried by landing on power lines and smashed to pulp against picture windows in one week than perished from three decades of oil spills."

But then, I never thought it was about safety, bio-diversity, wildlife, fish, etc. Did you? It's about shutting down the economy, about not using petroleum at all, for any reason.

Off shore drilling ban lifted

on July 14, 2008 and prices immediately began to plummet. I'm not sure even one drop has resulted from this, but all the naysayers who said it wouldn't affect prices at the pump obviously were wrong. Gasoline is below $1.70 at some stations in Columbus. Adjusted for inflation, I think that's cheaper than when I was in high school.

This makes greengoes unhappy because Algorists were using this to push all the oil and gas sky-is-falling stories (it's God's stored sunshine, but they are pantheists). Obamites aren't happy either, because there go all the billions in taxes that the government's been so dependent on, right when all the rich folks are losing their income, too. Even Governor Palin might be in trouble and see her popularity drop (highest of all the governors), since Alaskans each (yes, even the kids) get part of the profits from their oil bounty.

Just in time to hop in the car and drive to Grandma's--or in our case, to the home of niece Joan in Indianapolis. Although we'll be staying in Columbus this year and having a wonderful turkey and/or ham dinner at our daughter's home. I just love that part about having kids--when they grow up they can cook for you.