3 West Coast governors oppose new offshore oil drilling

[Ichingcarpenter]

Source: LA Times

SACRAMENTO -- West Coast governors urged the federal government Tuesday to keep new oil drilling rigs out of their waters and to spend more money on programs to restore the health of the Pacific Ocean.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican, joined with Democratic Govs. Ted Kulongoski of Oregon and Chris Gregoire of Washington to reaffirm their opposition to opening undersea oil fields to new drilling, as part of an elaborate action plan for preserving coastal waters.

The 116-page document outlines ambitious goals for cleaning up coastal waters and beaches, restoring fisheries, preparing for rising sea levels and developing projects that harness energy from waves and tides, among other topics.

"We are united ecologically, and now we are also united politically with Democrats and Republicans here working together and with one powerful voice," said Schwarzenegger, flanked by images of the two other governors beamed in via satellite.

Read more: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-ocean30-2008jul30,0,2667305.story

[BlooInBloo]

1. Let the hicks spill oil in their states. Not ours tyvm.

[WriteDown]

2. Hicks?

Don't disagree with your opinion, but that is offensive.

[XemaSab]

13. You clearly don't live in the part of California that's populated by hicks

If they could drill for oil off the coast of Redding... :crazy:

[underpants]

3. Who are THEY!?!? They were just elected by people of ONE STATE

this is a national policy we are talking about!!!!

:sarcasm:

[Diane R]

4. Our economy depends on our clean water and shoreline. Drill in your own state.

[WriteDown]

8. So does Louisiana's

Heading there tonight to fish off of Grand Isle. Don't think drilling is the answer to the current crisis, but at the same time, I know firsthand that it doesn't result in some sort of wasteland. On another note, I have a buddy who buys oil and gas leases near Shreveport, LA. Originally, they were paying 5K per acre, then 8K, and now 20K. And that is all within the last 6 months. That is INSANE.

[Ichingcarpenter]

5. Arizona and Utah can drill off of their coasts

I'm sure they will as soon as they get an ocean.

[YvonneCa]

6. This is GREAT news...

...from our governors. I'm glad they are standing up to Bush. Even Arnold...and I'm not an Arnold fan. :) Edited to add my LTTE on the subject:

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

It would seem to me that by this time…after 7+ years of this Bush Administration…that the pattern they follow to get their way on policy is very clear. They create propaganda (a false intent) spin it and sell it…to the detriment of the American people. Their goal is ALWAYS the same: 1) Move responsibility off the shoulders of government and on to the backs of the American people, and 2) Make money for big business as former oilmen.

It would seem to me that the media…especially television news who has covered this administration (sort of) for 7+ years would not only SEE the pattern, but feel a duty to point it out to the American people. But I watched them ‘catapult the propaganda’ on energy policy again this morning. If you doubt the pattern this administration uses to get its way, here are a few examples:


Example # 1 Social Security. Their plan was privatization from the beginning. But they mislead everyone into thinking they were trying to ‘save’ it. Put all our money in stocks…that would have worked. Have you see the stock market lately?

Example # 2 Public Education. They try to sell us vouchers. As with Social Security, the plan has always been privatization…not making schools better.

Example # 3 Katrina. Bush never wanted government to help us during natural disasters, so he created Homeland Security (hey, Mr. Orwell) and put FEMA under that umbrella…stripping a once great agency down to nothing. No wonder it failed…but then it’s easier to get rid of a failing agency than a good one. Again, privatizing an agency meant to be a support for the public.

Example #4 The war in Iraq or the military in general. They knew the only way to make it happen was to mislead us on purpose. Bush balked at helping our veterans, and tried to privatize a war with KBR, Blackwater, etc. Lots of money made there.

Example #5 Our current economic crisis…notice who his actions have bailed out. Homeowners again are left holding the bag…many without their homes.

And there are really too many to list…the Justice Department, CIA, FBI, NSA…many of whom are supposed to keep us safe (Richard Clarke has a great book on this subject).



So now, before he leaves office, Bush wants an energy policy. He has always wanted to drill for oil everywhere…and now he is renewing his push to do so. His great intentions are not to help clean up the environment. Nor are his intentions to help average Americans struggling with the high cost of gas for their cars or energy to heat and cool their homes…he is holding out and DEMANDING that Congress drill in ANWR and off our coasts…period.

Anyone who does not see the pattern here hasn’t been paying attention. Anyone who sees it and BELIEVES Bush is doing this to help the country is blind. Anyone in the media…who HAS been paying attention to his methods…who spins this in his favor is irresponsible. This administration wants to drill off our coasts and in ANWR, because…they say…we need every last drop of oil to help us through this ‘transition’ to renewable energy. That argument misleads us, the American people, and insults our intelligence. There are already U.S. lands…yet undrilled…that we can and should explore. Any oil we drill out now, won’t help gas prices…indeed, it won’t get to market for YEARS...and then much of it would be sold to other countries. We should ‘transition’ to renewable energy, like solar and wind, etc…but we SHOULDN’T take the advice from former oilmen like Bush Cheney, and T.Boone Pickens blindly.

This administration wants to drill off our coasts and in ANWR because it will make MONEY for oilmen. Period. Pickens promotes ‘his plan’ because if cars go to natural gas he will make money. Period.

The American people get to decide who to listen to about energy. I hope the media…CNN, NBC, CBS, ABC, MSNBC and others …will make sure they get ALL the facts. (I know that’s tough, when some are owned by energy companies.)

But look what happened when the case for going to war in Iraq was whitewashed.

[JPZenger]

7. Most of the oil is along the Gulf Coasts

The information I read said that most of the known reserves off-shore are along the Gulf Coast. Why not let Texas and Louisiana have drilling all they want off their coasts, but not force it upon states that don't want it?

[gateley]

12. But the environmental impact in one area --

impacts all areas.

[FogerRox]

15. 100 billion barrels lie on existing leases

The north west corner of ANWR is said to be home to 2 to 11 billion barrels of oil, not a lot of oil in the larger scheme of things. Oil companies hold 68 million acres in leases, estimated to contain 100 billion barrels of oil, enough to nearly double domestic oil production, and increase natural gas production by 75%.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=3704964&mesg_id=3704964

THe Bakken formation under the Dakotas has 175 to 500 billion barrels.

[DCKit]

16. "THe Bakken formation under the Dakotas has 175 to 500 billion barrels."

But they'd have to build a dedicated nuclear power plant to provide the heat energy required to extract that oil - and that's before considering the environmental impact on the aquifer and surface water from mining/drilling waste. And what happens to the nuke plant when the shale/sand in that area is depleted?

Extracting oil from shale and tar sands is energy intensive, little more than a trade-off from one form of energy to another - far better to leave that oil in the ground (for later generations) and use the extraction energy to produce the electricity we need now.

[FogerRox]

17. Yeah, its so dirty, let Alberta do it...... so were back to solar and wind >wink

Not one nuke, 3, 1200MW reactors.

[DirtyDawg]

9. I agree, it's a state call...

...As has been said, Louisiana, Texas and Mississippi probably don't care that much since they don't rely on attractive, clean beaches for tourism revenue. Florida and a bit of Alabama? That's a different story. As for fishing off the LA coast. All they've got are mud-flats, marsh grass and bayous, so who'll know if they're oil-soaked or not...and as for the flavor, that's what cayenne and Tabasco is for - plus there's a reason they already call crawfish mudbugs - a little more oil won't matter. Texas? They've long since sold their souls to 'big-oil', so what's a little more 'black-gold' polution? Mississippi? It's never been about the beaches and water, it's the gambling that attracts every red-neck within a four-state area and that's already been rebuilt. The Carolinas and Virginia, doubt if that's gonna be much of a problem, the Gulf Stream will haul any spills up to New Jersey, Long Island and New England so they'll have to make that call.

One thing you can count on, geegubya and dickless will always make 'the profit deal' call for themselves and their buddies but nobody says we have to go along with it.

[YvonneCa]

10. I agree that this administration...

..."will always make 'the profit deal' call for themselves and their buddies but nobody says we have to go along with it."

[WriteDown]

11. Uh....

I'll be fishing off or pristine beaches off of Grand Isle, LA in about 24 hrs. Your depiction of LA's coasts are inaccurate.

[MasonJar]

14. The former governor (a Democrat) of Louisiana had been trying to get

the state revenues from the off-shore wells (which apparently is standard) but got no cooperation from the Bushistas of course.