The Hill: Environmentalists fear climate deal (offshore drilling part of the deal?)

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/62125-climate-legislation-deal-feared

Environmentalists fear climate deal

By Jim Snyder - 10/08/09 06:05 AM ET

Environmentalists are growing concerned that Congress may be willing to risk the coasts in order to save the planet.

Some expressed fears this week that Democrats may give in on offshore drilling in order to increase the prospects for a contentious climate change bill designed to curb the threat of global warming.

Climate negotiators said this week that they are open to discussing an expansion of domestic drilling opportunities and providing new support for nuclear power to get more Republican support for the cap-and-trade climate bill.

Without some Republicans on board, it is unlikely Senate Democrats will be able to reach the 60-vote threshold they’ll need to advance the bill.

…

[Altoid_Cyclist]

1. Why is it that Democrats are the ones that always have to give in?

I'm not sure how old this report is, but the fact that the US has the two top positions on this list concern me. When you consider the fact that the Exxon Valdez spill is still causing problems 20 years after it happened, I can't say that I have a lot of confidence in the oil companies safety policies.


Q. Where do most oil spills happen in the world?

A. Oil spills happen all around the world. Analysts for the Oil Spill Intelligence Report, who track oil spills of at least 10,000 gallons (34 tons), reported that spills in that size range have occurred in the waters of 112 nations since 1960. But they also reported (Etkin 1997) that oil spills happen more frequently in certain parts of the world. They identified the following "hot spots" for oil spills from vessels:


the Gulf of Mexico (267 spills)

the northeastern U.S. (140 spills)

the Mediterranean Sea (127 spills)

the Persian Gulf (108 spills)

the North Sea (75 spills)

Japan (60 spills)

the Baltic Sea (52 spills)

the United Kingdom and English Channel (49 spills)

Malaysia and Singapore (39 spills)

the west coast of France and north and west coasts of Spain (33 spills)

Korea (32 spills)


Link to Exxon Valdez results:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exxon_Valdez_oil_spill

[Nihil]

2. We had to destroy the planet in order to save it ...

... oh, wait ...

[Altoid_Cyclist]

3. I hope that someone knows where we keep the spare planet.

If we're taking this trip to destroy the planet and then realize that we forgot to bring a spare, we're pretty much screwed.