All But 2 Calif. House Republicans Support Drilling; West Coast Governors Respond

Something to keep in mind come election time.

Seventeen of California's 19 House Republicans have signed a letter supporting drilling off the state's coast.

They sent the letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco on Thursday as House Democrats assembled an energy package that would allow offshore drilling if states opt in.

The lawmakers, led by Ken Calvert of Corona, focus on revenue drilling could generate for the state if California opts in and if states are given a cut of the royalties.

Pelosi opposes drilling off the coast of California, as does Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The two Republican House members who didn't sign were Mary Bono Mack of Palm Springs and Brian Bilbray of Carlsbad.

In response to this, Governors Gregoire of WA, Kulongoski of OR, and Schwarzenegger of CA reiterated their opposition to new offshore oil and gas development by sending a letter to Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne commenting on the Minerals Management Service's Five-Year Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Leasing Program: 2010-2015.

"We urge the federal government to look for realistic short- and long-term solutions to our energy problems instead of pursuing a course that would be devasting to the environment and would not provide the fundamental economic relief that consumers seek", stated Governors Gregoire, Kulongoski, and Schwarzenegger in the letter.

"It's safe enough these days..."

Much has been said about the supposed "new technologies" which offshore drilling supporters claim will make platforms safer.




And yet with another hurricane - the fifth one this year - bearing down on the gulf coast, oil companies are scrambling to evacuate their platforms.

Big (Sexy) Oil

Breaking news this morning of widespread corruption within the agency involved in issuing the country's offshore drilling leases.

According a story in today's Washington Post, investigators have found that Government brokers responsible for collecting billions of dollars in federal oil royalties operated in a "culture of substance abuse and promiscuity" that included having sex with energy company employees, accepting lavish gifts and rigging contracts to favored firms.







Looks like the environment isn't the only thing getting screwed...

Get the whole story in today's Washington Post and Denver Post.

Santa Barbara City Council says No to Offshore Drilling

With offshore oil drilling emerging as a hot issue in the presidential campaign, the Santa Barbara City Council Tuesday night reaffirmed its opposition to drilling along the coastline where a 1969 spill gave rise to the Environmental Protection Agency and the modern environmental movement.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-sbdrill10-2008sep10,0,3979257.story

Fresh Air interview with Thomas Friedman

Thomas Friedman's Argument For 'Geo-Greenism'

Thomas Friedman is a man bent on revolution. In his new book, Hot, Flat, and Crowded, the three-time Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist writes about the need for a green revolution — and calls upon Americans to lead the charge.

http://www.npr.org/templates/rundowns/rundown.php?prgId=13&prgDate=09-08-2008&view=storyview

Oil Industry Mounts Multi-Million $$ Ad Campaign

The American Petroleum Institute, which represents the oil and gas industry, wants to [no surprise here] push Congress to lift the moratorium on offshore drilling off the Florida coast and other parts of the country. In order to accomplish this , they've launched a multi-million $ ad campaign, buying full-page ads in the St. Petersburg Times, Orlando Sentinel and other newspapers around Florida, as well as in USA Today and Newsweek magazine, and running radio ads as well.

In response, a coalition of environmental groups including Surfrider Foundation, Sierra Club, and Defenders of Wildlife, as well as some businesspeople worried about beach pollution harming tourism have set up a Web site, Don't Rig Florida's Economy.

Also see Surfrider's Oil Drilling Talking Points

http://www.theledger.com/article/20080907/NEWS/809070351/1063/YOURTOWN19&itle=Oil_Industry_Counts_on_Public_Support_to_Win_Drilling_Battle

Offshore Drilling in Nova Scotia?

Georges Bank drilling weighed
Nova Scotia's interest raises alarm in N.E.; Environmentalists, fishermen concerned
http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/green/articles/2008/08/25/georges_bank_drilling_weighed/

Comment - This article raises the issue of potential offshore oil drilling impacts from Nova Scotia in Canada affecting New England states like Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut and New York. A similar issue may likely rear its ugly head within the U.S. If the federal moratorium on new offshore oil leases is lifted, states will have the authority to authorize new oil drilling off their shores. But the ocean doesn't really care about state boundaries, so an oil spill from offshore drilling in Virginia may gunk up the beaches of the Outer Banks in North Carolina, etc.