A Welcome Decision on DrillingThe BP oil spill earlier this year had at least one positive result: It persuaded the Obama administration to back away from its plan to loosen a long-standing ban on drilling in the eastern Gulf of Mexico. No one can promise our beaches won't be fouled again, but a continued drilling ban makes such a catastrophe less likely. "In light of the BP spill," an administration official said last week, "we've learned a lot and understand the need to elevate safety and environmental standards. We took a second look at the announced plan and modified it to remove the eastern Gulf of Mexico from leasing consideration." That's good news. It keeps oil drilling farther away, and when it comes to drilling, "not in my back yard" is a reasonable stance for costal residents to take. Oil exploration offers only grief for coastal communities, its tourism industry and military water ranges. The oil-stained beaches and the devastation suffered by so many businesses this year brought previous warnings about offshore drilling into sharp, horrifying focus.
The Northwest Florida Daily News' "Oil & Water" series, published in November 2009, showed that forecasts of billions of dollars in oil and gas revenue for Florida were wildly inflated. Plus, Florida doesn't have the onshore production facilities that give Texas and Louisiana a stake in successful offshore drilling. They reap the economic rewards. Florida doesn't. So if they want drilling just off their shores, they're welcome to it. Yes, we know that the drilling ban in the eastern Gulf didn't prevent the BP crisis. Florida was clobbered by an oil well blowout off Louisiana. But that doesn't mean our leaders shouldn't do all they can — such as maintaining no-drilling zones — to reduce the daily risk. And yes, we know that some legislators are still hot to drill in nearby waters. Expect them to start peddling the "Drilling is safe" myth as soon as they think we've forgotten about BP. The trick is not to forget. So far, the White House hasn't. REPRINTED FROM THE NORTHWEST FLORIDA DAILY NEWS DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS.COM
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