The oil spill in the Gulf is a tragedy in every sense of the word. The images coming from the Gulf are distressing, and the deaths of 11 workers on the Deepwater Horizon rig are heartbreaking. However, it is very important to remember that this accident is an anomaly. The human error and/or failure of the rig’s state-of-the-art equipment require a complete explanation, and the cleanup operation deserves our full support. Still, we cannot afford to further harm our nation’s economy by halting our offshore drilling, which is why I am calling on President Obama to lift his recently imposed six month moratorium on deepwater drilling and asked that he refrain from imposing a moratorium on shallow water drilling.
The government’s most recent data show that between 1985 and 2001, more than 7 billion barrels of oil have been produced in federal offshore waters with less than 0.001% spilled – a 99.999% record for clean operations. More than 35,000 oil and gas wells have been drilled in American waters without a single major blowout. This superb record of cleanliness and safety must be remembered throughout this debate. Our offshore energy industry follows the world’s strictest standards for human safety and environmental protection. Halting offshore drilling only makes us more dependent on potentially hostile nations with lax or sub-par safety and environmental standards for our energy needs. Rather than eliminating environmental risks, we would simply be exporting them, along with thousands of American jobs.
The fact that this tragedy struck while our country is mired in a deep economic recession only reinforces the need to act with proper restraint. Already, local economies are feeling the devastating effects of the oil spill. Shutting down deepwater drilling at this time would do nothing but kill jobs and slow our economic recovery. The Louisiana Department of Economic Development estimates that over 20,000 jobs could be lost if this moratorium remains in place for an extended period.
I am sending a letter to President Obama outlining these concerns and asking him to lift the moratorium. Destabilizing our economy and endangering our nation’s energy security is no way for the President to respond to public criticism about his handling of the situation.
Oil is used for more than just fuel, Choi. Petroleum is used to make clothes, hair and toothbrushes, plastics…you name it, and oil or an oil byproduct is crucial in it’s creation. Short-sighted knee-jerk hippies don’t know that because they use their emotions (women make their decisions like this, too) rather than their minds and logic. There simply is NO replacement for oil due to it’s many uses BESIDES JUST FUEL. This moratorium, like many of BO’s responses to problems, will just make things worse and cost many more jobs. And oddly enough, there is a Brazilian oil company who will pick up the slack…an oil company whom Obama’s friend George Soros has invested in heavily (some 800+ million dollars). He stands to make a tidy profit from this…I smell foul play.
So sad that conservation has become a dirty word in this country, especially among CONSERVATIVES. It was Richard Nixon that started the EPA. That’s right. Richard Nixon.
Quit driving gas guzzling SUVs, turn off the lights when not in the room, turn down the thermostat and put on a sweater. Not that tough, people. Remember, when you waste energy, the terrorists win.
I respectfully disagree. I support the drilling moratorium 100%, and I am among those who petitioned Congress and President Obama to ask that it be put into place. The solution is to make the switch to sustainable living and cleaner, renewable fuels. I am making the necessary changes in my daily life to accomplish this. If the majority of my fellow citizens did the same, we’d be on our way to energy independence, and the same amount of jobs and profits will be there creating, distributing and using clean fuel as has been made with dirty, outdated oil. Dear Mr. Culberson, the time has come to forget the past and embrace the future.