Beware the Sirens of Big Oil (AK)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/riki-ott/beware-the-sirens-of-big_b_299809.html

Opinion: Bristol Bay should be cut from the five-year OCS leasing schedule (AK)
http://www.alaskajournal.com/stories/092509/opi_6_003.shtml

Florida lawmakers gather to debate offshore oil drilling in Clearwater
http://www.examiner.com/x-24773-Tampa-Populist-Examiner~y2009m9d25-Florida-lawmakers-gather-to-debate-offshore-oil-drilling-in-Clearwater

Offshore drilling supporter tells tourism agency: It's safe (FL)
http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/Business/Headlines/bizBIZ01092509.htm
Note that Rep. Dean Cannon is from Winter Park, FL (near Orlando) which is in the middle of Florida, far from the beaches on Florida’s Gulf Coast.

Australian Oil Spill Keeps on Gushing and Spreading

This is from Skytruth:

New images from NASA's Terra and Aqua satellites keep coming in. At 8:45 am local time, the Terra satellite passed overhead and captured this image, showing oil slicks and sheen throughout a 9,870 square mile area (=7,455 square nautical miles). Part of the slick appears to be in contact with Cartier Island, a national marine reserve.

Five hours later the Aqua satellite took this image. The wind speed had increased from 10 knots to 18 knots, creating a much rougher sea surface and breaking up or obscuring the thinner slicks and sheen. Only thicker portions of the slick are apparent in this image, adjacent to the Montara platform, covering about 3,940 square miles (=2,976 nautical square miles). No slicks are apparent near Cartier - a good sign on Day 34 of this continuing spill. See all our satellite and aerial images of the spill here.

Oil Industry Sets a Brisk Pace of New Discoveries
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/24/business/energy-environment/24oil.html?hpw
“In 30 years I’ve been in the business, the Gulf of Mexico has been called the Dead Sea countless times,” said Bobby Ryan, the vice president of global exploration at Chevron. “And yet it continues to revitalize itself.”
Interesting uses of “dead” and “revitalize.” I guess in Chevron’s world, dead means no oil and revitalize means a new oil discovery. Evidently they aren’t aware of the real “dead zone” in the area.

Senate blocks bid to keep offshore drilling policy
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iDjWLOqLWzBGcNQKFYGI201DiVXQD9AT94N00

Two Ocean Views in Congress
http://thatsmycongress.com/index.php/2009/09/24/two-ocean-views-in-congress/
Here we go again. The Rep from Florida says protect our ocean and coasts, while the Rep from Nebraska says Drill Baby Drill.

Jindal urges expansion of offshore drilling (LA)
http://www.theadvertiser.com/article/20090923/NEWS01/90923006/Jindal+urges+expansion+of+offshore+drilling

Perdue indicates she's open to offshore drilling (NC)
http://www2.journalnow.com/content/2009/sep/23/perdue-indicates-shes-open-to-offshore-drilling/

The Era of Xtreme Energy
http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2009/09/era-xtreme-energy
“We possess just two options for shortening this difficult era and mitigating its impact. They are both perfectly obvious — which, unfortunately, makes them no easier to bring about: drastically speed up the development of renewable sources of energy and greatly reduce our reliance on fossil fuels by reorganizing our lives and our civilization so that we might consume less of them in everything we do.”

Offshore Drilling: Risky Job Killer (VA)
http://augustafreepress.com/2009/09/22/erik-curren-offshore-drilling-risky-job-killer/

Decision due soon on Arctic Ocean oil drilling
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/greenspace/2009/09/decision-due-soon-on-arctic-ocean-oil-drilling.html

Offshore Drilling Deadline Meets 11th Hour Plea (Alaska)
http://www.ktva.com/ci_13388333

Groups spar over U.S. offshore drilling plan
http://www.reuters.com/article/GCA-Oil/idUSTRE58K4YB20090921

Commentary: Coastal drilling is an option we must keep open (CA)
http://www.visaliatimesdelta.com/article/20090922/OPINION/909220310/Commentary++Coastal+drilling+is+an+option+we+must+keep+open
Notice how pro-drilling comments are often from inland areas? Visalia is in CA’s Central Valley, far from the coast.

Bishop Urges Expansion of Offshore Drilling
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705331552/Bishop-urges-expansion-of-offshore-drilling.html
And here’s a Congressman from Utah pushing for more offshore drilling. I guess he doesn’t have to worry about his beaches getting oiled.

Vitter urges no delays in offshore oil drilling
http://www.businessinsider.com/vitter-urges-no-delays-in-offshore-oil-drilling-2009-9
OK, so Vitter is from a coastal state (LA), but perhaps he feels they don’t have anything left to lose.

Who wants to Surf in Oil??? Photo Credit: Sasso

Last year, as many of you remember, there was an ill-conceived legislative to reverse three decades of Federal and state bans on offshore oil drilling, which have protected our state’s most treasured and valuable resource – its coastlines. This bill was advanced by, as noted by the Bradenton Herald, “a secretive group of powerful legislators, business groups and Texas oil companies.”

Read more on our Florida statewide blog...

Fears for sealife in Australian oil spill
http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/pacbeat/stories/200909/s2691418.htm

Opponents ask Salazar to halt offshore drilling
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ijmzoObcMDyeXXrne4t-7meTNxQwD9ARUIS00

Florida Energy Associates pushing for offshore drilling
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/florida/story/1242317.html
“They appeared in the spring, a secretive group trying to upend Florida's longtime ban on offshore drilling by promising millions of dollars and hundreds of jobs. The effort to allow drilling within three to 10 miles of beaches failed to pass the Legislature, but only just. Now emissaries from Florida Energy Associates are touring the state to campaign for overturning the ban at the next legislative session, either this fall or next spring. Incoming House Speaker Dean Cannon, R-Orlando, says he'll sponsor a bill to allow drilling as close as five miles offshore.“

Perdue Looking for Advice on Offshore Drilling, Wind Energy (NC)
http://www.istockanalyst.com/article/viewiStockNews/articleid/3494151

Candidates Talk on Offshore Drilling (VA)
http://www.whsv.com/news/headlines/59806487.html