Surfrider and Other Groups Tell Senators Offshore Oil Drilling is Not the Answer

Today Surfrider Foundation joined over 70 other environmental organizations in sending the following letter to members of the U.S. Senate.

Dear Senator:

On behalf of our organizations, and the millions of members they represent, we are writing you today to urge the United States Senate to reconsider any plans to include expanded offshore oil and gas exploration and drilling in any legislation. In light of the events surrounding the Deepwater Horizon rig in the Gulf of Mexico, our organizations urge you to oppose efforts to expand offshore oil and gas exploration and drilling off of our coasts. Expanding exploration and drilling into previously protected and remote areas is unacceptable when it is clear that we are not capable of responding to oil spills in a timely manner. The Senate faces a choice between leading America forward in a new clean energy economy or holding America back by preserving the failed energy policies of the past. This human and environmental catastrophe is proof positive that we must end our addiction to oil, enact a firm limit on carbon pollution, and ensure this type of disaster never happens again.

What began with the apparent tragic loss of 11 lives on April 21, 2010 now has the potential to be one of the worst environmental disasters in U.S. history. The unfolding catastrophe clearly illustrates that offshore drilling is an inherently dangerous, risky, and dirty business. Furthermore, these events raise numerous questions about the safety and environmental safeguards that are intended to protect our coastlines. If we cannot contain an oil spill in the very temperate Gulf of Mexico, how can we have any faith that a similar disaster does not await the "exploratory" drilling currently planned for the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas in the extreme conditions of the Arctic Ocean where we already know technology does not exist to clean up a spill in icy water.

Currently, the oil slick resulting from the Deepwater Horizon disaster continues to grow, posing hazards to marine wildlife. The slick of toxic oil has made landfall on the coastline of Louisiana and threatens the coasts of Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. Exposure to the oil will likely have devastating impacts for coastal and marine wildlife and commercial and recreational fisheries.

Oil can persist in the environment long after a spill. This prolonged exposure to oil could result in major impacts on the coastal economies of the Gulf region. Gulf of Mexico fisheries are among the most productive in the world. In 2008, according to the National Marine Fisheries Service, the commercial fish and shellfish harvest from the five U.S. Gulf states was estimated to be 1.3 billion pounds valued at $661 million. The Gulf also contains four of the top seven fishing ports in the nation by landed weight. The Gulf of Mexico has eight of the top 20 fishing ports in the nation by dollar value of landings.

Accidents happen, and they will continue to happen in the future. Any expanded offshore exploration and drilling should be off the table. Instead, legislation should focus on emphasizing development of carbon-free energy technologies, including offshore and land-based wind power and solar power, consistent with the protection of wildlife and ecosystems, and the development of a meaningful national renewable electricity standard.

Provisions creating new incentives (such as state revenue sharing) or reduced safeguards for expanded offshore drilling are simply not acceptable. The energy bill reported by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, the American Clean Energy Leadership Act (ACELA) of 2009, reverses the bipartisan agreement reached in the 2006 Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act (GOMESA). The language would allow drilling within 10 miles of Pensacola, and shrink the current 125-mile-wide buffer elsewhere along Florida's West Coast to 45 miles. Clearly, an accident similar to the Deepwater Horizon would devastate Florida’s coast regardless of buffers provided in the bill. We oppose inclusion of any such provisions in legislation considered by this Congress.

The numbers don’t lie. There is not enough oil off of our shores to make America energy independent or to reduce gas prices. But, clearly there is enough to damage ocean and coastal ecosystems and billion-dollar coastal economies. Instead of expanding offshore oil drilling, responsible climate legislation needs to focus on innovation and investment in clean, renewable, carbon-free energy that creates jobs and protects our coastal economies and ecosystems.

The Senate has a profound responsibility to build a clean energy future for our nation without sacrificing our oceans and coasts in the process. Now is the time for strong clean energy and climate policy. It is up to you to ensure that we put the United States on the path to economic, environmental and national security.

Burning oil rig sinks in Gulf of Mexico

And it is also leaking over 250,000 gallons of crude oil per day.

Read more...

Gulf Oil Spill History

Here's a summary of the major oil spills in the Gulf of Mexico in the last 30 years or so. These are from drilling, shipping and on-shore infrastructure. You lay down with dogs, you get fleas. You invite the oil industry in, you get..................oil.

1979
· June 3, Gulf of Mexico: Exploratory well Ixtoc 1 blows out, spilling some 140 million gallons of crude into the open sea.

1990
· June 8, off Galveston: Mega Borg releases 5.1 million gallons of oil some 60 nautical miles south-southeast of Galveston after a pump room explosion and fire.

2000
· Nov. 28, Mississippi River south of New Orleans: Tanker Westchester loses power and runs aground, dumping 567,000 gallons of crude oil. The spill was largest in U.S. waters since Exxon Valdez in 1989.

2005
· August-September, New Orleans: The Coast Guard estimates that more than 7 million gallons of oil spilled from various sources during Hurricane Katrina.

2006
· June 19, Calcasieu River, La.: Some 71,000 barrels of waste oil are released from the CITGO refinery during a violent storm.

2008
· July 25, New Orleans: A 61-foot barge, carrying 419,000 gallons of heavy fuel, collides with a 600-foot tanker in the Mississippi River. Hundreds of thousands of gallons of fuel leak from the barge, halting all river traffic.

2009
· September, Houston Ship Channel: An oil spill prompted a three-day closure to accommodate cleanup efforts. A 458-foot vessel was trying to turn around when it struck a barge, gouging a hole in the vessel's fuel tank and leaking 10,500 gallons of oil.
· October, 40 miles offshore of Galveston, Texas: a supply vessel crashed against a Liberian-flagged oil tanker, resulting in an 18,000 gallon oil spill.

2010
· January 23, Port Arthur, Texas: About 462,000 gallons of oil spilled when an 800-foot tanker headed for an Exxon Mobil Corp. refinery in Beaumont collided with a vessel pushing two barges.
Sources:

http://www.infoplease.com/

http://blogs.chron.com/newswatchenergy/archives/2010/01/the_port_arthur.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+houstonchronicle%2Fnewswatchenergy+%28NewsWatch%3A+Energy%29

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6833095.html

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704562504575021540843701582.html?mod=rss_Today%27s_Most_Popular

Full Speed Ahead to ???

Two stories caught my eye today. First was Spill is among worst ever on North Slope, discussing a 24-inch rupture in a pipeline that began pouring oil and water Nov. 29, creating one of the biggest North Slope crude oil spills ever, with a "working estimate" of the spill's size about 46,000 gallons of crude and produced water.


Then there was Offshore oil drilling gets go-ahead in Alaska's Arctic, which stated that the Interior Department had given the go-ahead for Shell Oil to begin drilling three exploratory wells in the Chukchi Sea, a move that opens the door for offshore oil and gas production in the Arctic. "This is progress," said Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski.


Uh...............right. We're making good time as we move down the wrong road.

County might not go with the flow on oil drilling (FL)
http://suncoastpasco.tbo.com/content/2009/dec/05/pg-county-might-not-go-with-the-flow-on-oil-drilli/
"That's just the other side of Anclote Island," Hildebrand said, referring to the possible three-mile limit for offshore oil rigs. Possible impact on tourism remains a big concern, Mulieri commented. Nor is it clear how much additional oil-drilling royalty revenue might flow into state coffers.

Drilling's economic impact (FL)
http://www.nwfdailynews.com/opinion/impact-23327-day-nov.html

Scott Maddox Says No, Baby, No on Oil Drilling (FL – YouTube video)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jctOlMtm-dg
Also see Facebook page (no candidate endorsement implied)

Shell is overselling claims about arctic spill cleanup
http://royaldutchshellplc.com/2009/12/05/shell-is-overselling-claims-about-arctic-spill-cleanup/

Australian oil spill seeps into Senate debate about drilling offshore in U.S.
http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/69045-australian-oil-spill-seeps-into-senate-debate-about-offshore-drilling?page=2

Old Florida needs to let go of old ways
http://www.alligator.org/opinion/columns/article_c6cc7ea6-dd75-11de-b631-001cc4c03286.html

FL Commissioner Says Offshore Drilling Not Worth It–Does Argument Apply to Rest of US?
http://www.heatingoil.com/home/fl-commissioner-offshore-drilling-worth-itdoes-argument-apply-rest1127/

Oil Spills: “The fact is, these things happen”
http://hrsierraclub.org/2009/11/29/oil-spills-the-fact-is-these-things-happen/

Offshore drilling near Santa Barbara brings energy debate home (CA)
http://www.examiner.com/x-30760-Santa-Barbara-Environmental-News-Examiner~y2009m11d20-Offshore-oil-drilling-off-the-coast-of-Santa-Barbara

Offshore Oil Drilling Debate Renewed in Senate Hearing (US)
http://solveclimate.com/blog/20091119/offshore-oil-drilling-debate-renewed-senate-hearing
“Statistics from the Energy Information Administration say that in 2030, when OCS production is expected to reach its peak, it will reduce US dependence on foreign oil only 2.5 percent, which translates into three cents a gallon at the pump. In April of this year, the EIA said the U.S. imported 58 percent of its petroleum in 2007 and expects that dependence of foreign sources to decline over the next two decades. Still, the report says that the US produces 10 percent of the world’s petroleum and consumes 24 percent. If reducing dependence on foreign oil is a primary concern, say some groups, then the best solution is not necessarily to drill for more domestic oil but to reduce the amount of fossil fuels needed in the domestic economy.”

Transcript of Skytruth’s John Amos to Senate on Offshore Oil Drilling (US)
http://thatsmycongress.com/index.php/2009/11/19/transcript-of-skytruths-john-amos-to-senate-on-offshore-oil-drilling/
“In summary, offshore drilling is an inherently risky venture. Accidents happen despite the most technologically advanced systems. Nature can create insurmountable situations, and infrastructure ages and becomes vulnerable. Recent history shows that when things go wrong the consequences can become severe.”

You Can Believe Big Oil, Right?

Today's headlines included two gems.

First we had Big Oil to Congress: Expand offshore drilling

Wow, what a shocker. Big oil is in favor of drilling off your beach. When Jeffrey Short of Oceana stated "The potentially irreversible effects of oil pollution on marine ecosystems and their dependent economies do not justify the potential short-term economic gains that might accrue from offshore oil and gas development," the industry responded by saying that "improved drilling technology allows oil companies to search for supplies in an environmentally friendly way." I guess that improved technology must have happened real recently, like since the 9-million gallon oil spill off Australia that finally was capped a couple of weeks ago.

Then there was Oil-paid study says Arctic spills easier to clean

The oil companies (BP, Shell, Chevron, Conoco Phillips, Statoil Hydro of Norway, Eni of Italy and Total of France) paid for a study that concluded that (surprise), even though oil spills are really, really unlikely, if they do happen in icy areas "ice can act as a natural blockade, giving responders more time for cleanup." The article then notes that "The findings conflict with conventional wisdom. Environmentalists cite botched spill cleanup experiments that occurred a decade ago in the Beaufort Sea. At the time, the state of Alaska determined that Prudhoe Bay oil field operator BP could not adequately clean spills in slushy water."

But, not to worry America, Big Oil has your best interests at heart.

Bill Nelson advises Tampa Chamber of Commerce to fight offshore drilling
http://blogs.creativeloafing.com/dailyloaf/2009/11/09/bill-nelson-advises-tampa-chamber-of-commerce-to-fight-offshore-drilling/

Gulf of Mexico oil, gas facilities shut by Ida
http://www.reuters.com/article/companyNewsAndPR/idUSN0926365120091109
Oil companies evacuate workers as Ida approaches
http://www.seattlepi.com/business/1310ap_us_ida_energy.html
But don’t worry, Florida. New oil rigs off your coast won’t spill oil during a Hurricane.

State panels studying offshore drilling (NC)
http://www.thetimesnews.com/news/text-29505-raleigh-align.html

Offshore oil drilling will not solve U.S. dependence on foreign oil or reduce costs
http://www.carnegieendowment.org/publications/index.cfm?fa=view&id=24084
“Proponents of offshore oil drilling ignore reality—offshore oil reserves are too small to significantly impact world oil prices or U.S. reliance on foreign oil, explains a new paper from the Carnegie Energy and Climate Program. Offshore oil, which necessitates costly and environmentally dangerous drilling, would produce about 514 million barrels annually by 2030—less than 1 percent of global oil production.”

Oil spills poison the Red Sea
http://features.csmonitor.com/environment/2009/11/05/oil-spills-poison-the-red-sea/
“Egyptian tourism commercials present the Red Sea as an untouched paradise where “the sun shines 365 days a year” and the water is full of exuberant marine life. But the reality is that the beaches and marine life are being destroyed as a result of offshore oil drilling and spills.”

Huge Australian Oil Spill Raises Questions
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/11/04/eveningnews/main5527406.shtml
Leak from Deep-Water Rig Has Released an Estimated 9 Million Gallons of Fuel; Bad News for the "Drill, Baby Drill" Crowd?

Australia Sets Up Commission for Timor Sea Oil Spill
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601081&sid=a6aPROziqOwI

Shell Oil deciding on Alaska offshore drilling
http://newsminer.com/pages/full_story/push?article-Shell+Oil+deciding+on+Alaska+offshore+drilling+%20&id=4341427-Shell+Oil+deciding+on+Alaska+offshore+drilling+&instance=home_news_window