House Votes to Keep Offshore Drilling Ban

From AP News

The House late Thursday rejected an attempt to end the quarter-century ban on oil and natural gas drilling that has been in effect for 85 percent of the country's coastal waters from Alaska to New England despite arguments that new supplies are needed to lower energy costs.

What do you think about this?

I understand the need for tourism money to roll in for these coastal states, but why prevent us from tapping into the oil reservoirs that lie off our coastline. They are referring to drilling 3 miles or more from our coast, which would be barely visible from shore.

Seeing as our territorial waters extend 12 miles of the coast, would an oil company be able to drill out past the 12 mile territory?

I think the US is trying to save it's oil for when the rest of the world can no longer find enough.

Problem is, our economy cannot sustain itself this well forever and there will come a time when we can't be as militarily powerful as we are now in comparison with the rest of the world. We'll be invaded and have our oil taken like Iraq did.

Rich folks with swanky beach front condos or bungaloos don't want to see that visual pollution of rigs and tankers and tenders. Sail boats, fluffy white clouds and beautiful children on the beach; it's a beautiful world.

Originally posted by whaaa
Rich folks with swanky beach front condos or bungaloos don't want to see that visual pollution of rigs and tankers and tenders. Sail boats, fluffy white clouds and beautiful children on the beach; it's a beautiful world.

They are always the one's driving the compact hybrids doing their part to help the environment too right? Not that I have a problem with SUVs, I own one myself (three kids and I can't stand minivans). It just seems that they are being somewhat hypocritical of the situation.

Such a joke. Whine all you want about high gas prices. Our own politician won't let us increase the domestic supply thus lowering prices. Note their names and vote them out of office for being such INTELLECTUAL MIDGETS and slaves to the brain dead environmentalist lobby.

Or just move to Cuba, they'll be drilling off our shores soon. Odd how the retarded tree huggers don't speak up against this...

www.nytimes.com...

Originally posted by Apoc
Such a joke. Whine all you want about high gas prices. Our own politician won't let us increase the domestic supply thus lowering prices. Note their names and vote them out of office for being such INTELLECTUAL MIDGETS and slaves to the brain dead environmentalist lobby.

I don't know what you are talking about. There is a resurgence of exploration, drilling and pipeline laying all over the southwest. Unproductive wells are being uncapped. Idle rigs are nowhere to be seen. Pump jacks that were still for years are now bobbing their heads once again. Where do you live?

It's not the environmentalists to blame for high prices it's oil company greed that cut back on production until the prices went up. Now they are enjoying record profits.

I agree with you on voting out the intellectual midgets but our views on who they actually are, probably differ.

Originally posted by whaaa

Originally posted by Apoc
Such a joke. Whine all you want about high gas prices. Our own politician won't let us increase the domestic supply thus lowering prices. Note their names and vote them out of office for being such INTELLECTUAL MIDGETS and slaves to the brain dead environmentalist lobby.

Where do you live?

Really, where do you live? I'm hoping it is the midwest where you don't realize the effect all of this has on us. Do you realize that Louisiana doesn't even get the taxes off of the oil that the other drilling states do? Do you realize that we are still recovering from a storm of monumental political and social downfalls, and still we haven't upped the ante? We are being fair, but come on dude, where do you live?

Nboy82.

I sympathize with your plight in the south! Im sure you are addressing your local politicians to help foster change. Change is also needed on the federal level. After the elections in November; there will be change.
Currently I am living in the four corners region where there is alot of energy exploration and extraction as I posted earlier.
I also own a small farm in Texas where I just sold the mineral leases to an energy consortium.
It is very convenient to place blame on environmentalist and "tree huggers" but the problem is much more complex and international in scope and involves global financial concerns.

Again I sympathise with you in NO. I spent many wonderful days in your fair city and I hope to again in the future. How did Metairie make out as thats where my GF lived. I wonder about her!

[edit on 22-5-2006 by whaaa]