Not In My Backyard – Even at $4.00 a Gallon
Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan doesn’t want the view from his beaches ruined. It doesn’t matter that you would need a telescope to see an offshore rig. Nor does he want the risk of pollution. Forget the fact that there is a higher risk of pollution from the city’s own waste water treatment plant. How many oil spills were there after hurricanes Katrina and Rita in the Gulf?
I wonder what Meehan would say if the government proposed outlawing recreational and commercial fishing in the waters off Ocean City. There is probably more pollution from that than there would be from a dozen rigs parked 12 miles off his coast.
Meehan shouldn’t feel bad. At least his “not in my backyard” views aren’t nearly as bizarre as the arguments put forward by Delaware Sen. George Bunting (D-20):
“The only way I could be supportive of it is if we had a threat to national security, like if we’re embargoed or something,” he said. “The gas situation is really hurting a lot of people, and I think we as a nation are going to have to start being leaner in our use of fuel.”
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Let’s assume that it takes up to ten years to get a rig sited, built, installed and put in operation. IF we had some sort of “world emergency” (Bunting’s term, not mine), it would be a little difficult to help with that emergency by drilling offshore, wouldn’t it George?
True to form, our leading local Democrats like Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE) don’t want offshore drilling. They claim to support research for “alternative energy sources”. Why wouldn’t they? These guys love more big government programs.
I support research for alternative energy sources as well. The difference is that I believe that we should strip the oil companies of their current corporate welfare and allow them tax credits for research in those areas. Does anyone honestly believe that the government can solve the energy problem better than the private sector?
Let’s face facts. The Democrats are not the least bit interested in SOLVING the current energy crisis. This is little more than a campaign issue for them. O’Malley’s remarks are a case in point:
“The governor supports efforts to reduce our dependence on foreign oil by investing in cleaner, alternative and renewable sources of energy, but does not support lifting the moratorium because of environmental concerns regarding our coastal bays, Chesapeake Bay and our critical areas,” said O’Malley spokeswoman Christine Hansen.
Let’s assume that we had offshore drilling off the Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia coasts. How would that affect the Chesapeake Bay? How would it affect our coastal bays? There would have to be a massive spill, coupled with a strong easterly wind. Given the safety record of modern oil platforms, is this really an unacceptable risk?
In addition to the oil being pumped, what about the potential economic development benefits?
Again, our Democratic brethren aren’t looking for solutions. They simply want to spend tax dollars and whine in the media.
Cardin and Biden are two cases on point. Last week on WICO-AM, Cardin’s rebuttal to any discussion of offshore drilling was “it won’t do anything to lower the price of gas now”. On this morning’s “Meet the Press”, Biden’s response was almost exactly the same – only more long winded.
IF we don’t start doing something now, there will NEVER be any effect on price of oil. Instead we will continue to be at mercy of the other oil producing nations as well as growing economies such as China and India.
Lest you believe that I’m only picking on the Dems, I commend you to Joe Biden’s co-conspirator on “Meet the Press”, Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-SC). When confronted with a series of quotes where he opposed offshore drilling his response was, “$4.00 a gallon gas and $135 per barrel oil”.
With men of such strong philosophical conviction, is there any wonder that Barack Obama could wind up in the White House and the Dems could wind up with a filibuster-proof Senate? The best thing Sen. John McCain could do, is kick Graham out as national co-chair and put real conservatives like former senator Phil Gramm and Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) front and center.
cross posted at Delmarva Dealings
cross posted at Red Maryland
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