Untitled Document
What’s New
Following the House’s adoption of Rep. Richard Pombo’s bill (H.R. 4761) that would allow oil and gas drilling as close as 3 miles off every coastal state, on August 1st the Senate adopted a more limited bill (S. 3711) that would only allow drilling off the west coast of Florida. Each bill would end the 25 year bipartisan moratorium that has kept the expansion of offshore drilling in check. Both bills achieve a real trifecta, a Triple Crown of bad energy policy, bad fiscal policy and bad environmental policy. They will do nothing to solve high gasoline or natural gas prices now or even in the long term. More.
How You Can Help
Sign the Save Our Shores petition calling on our senators to oppose any legislation that opens our coasts to off-shore drilling.
Background
The oil industry lobby would like us to believe that we can drill our way out of our nation's energy problems. We're not buying it. Opening our shores to drilling would only put our beaches and coastal waters at great risk for a small, short-term supply of oil and gas. Routine drilling operations dump thousands of pounds of toxic chemicals into the marine environment, and a catastrophic spill—one that could spoil the ecology and economic value of America’s beautiful beaches for generations—is a real possibility. We can do better.
If we raised gas mileage standards to 40 miles per gallon, we could save more oil each year than we import from the Persian Gulf and that we would get from drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge combined. Meanwhile, the leading U.S. Senate off-shore drilling bill would provide a mere 47 days of oil. It just doesn’t make sense. More.
News Releases and Reports:
Domenici-Martinez-Landrieu Coastal Drilling Bill is a Giveaway to the Oil Industry 7/21/06
House Guts Offshore Drilling Protections 6/29/06
Expanded Coastal Drilling Nixed by House of Representatives 5/19/06
Making Sense of America's Oil Needs: A Sustainable, State-Based Response to Dwindling Oil Supplies 8/05
In the States:
FloridaPIRG’s Save Our Shores campaign
Environment California’s Stop Offshore Drilling campaign
OSPIRG’s Protect the Oregon Coast campaign
MASSPIRG’s Protect Our Coast campaign
Environment Georgia’s Protect Our Coasts campaign
