Climate Progress
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) recently did a detailed study of the likely outcome of offshore drilling for their Annual Energy Outlook 2007, “Impacts of Increased Access to Oil and Natural Gas Resources in the Lower 48 Federal Outer Continental Shelf (OCS).” The sobering conclusion:
The projections in the OCS access case indicate that access to the Pacific, Atlantic, and eastern Gulf regions would not have a significant impact on domestic crude oil and natural gas production or prices before 2030.
And the impact of the projected 7% (!) increase in lower-48 oil production that might result in 2030 thanks to opening the OCS is … wait for it …
… any impact on average wellhead prices is expected to be insignificant.
Huffington Post
McCain's Offshore Drilling Position A Flip From Three Weeks Ago
It is hardly a secret that when it comes to offshore drilling, Sen. John McCain was against the idea before he was for it. (...)
In late May, (...) [o]n a campaign stop in Greensdale, Wisconsin, the Senator suggested that turning to the nation's coast for energy needs would be something of a waste in time and effort and do little to resolve America's broader energy needs.
"[W]ith those resources, which would take years to develop, you would only postpone or temporarily relieve our dependency on fossil fuels," McCain said when asked about offshore drilling. "We are going to have to go to alternative energy, and the exploitation of existing reserves of oil, natural gas, even coal, and we can develop clean coal technology, are all great things. But we also have to devote our efforts, in my view, to alternative energy sources, which is the ultimate answer to our long-term energy needs, and we need it sooner rather than later."
From McCain's recent energy speech:
What is certain in energy policy is that we have learned a few clear lessons along the way. Somehow all of them seem to have escaped my opponent. He says that high oil prices are not the problem, but only that they rose too quickly. He's doesn't support new domestic production. He doesn't support new nuclear plants. He doesn't support more traditional use of coal, either.
So presumably McCain supports both of these.
Oh, and the reason why offshore drilling is not a good idea: oil spills (list sent by email by Glenn from Democratic Courage - last two items added by me)
HURRICANE KATRINA: Released 6.5 million gallons of crude oil, creating a toxic sludge that not only severely damaged the Mississippi River and the Gulf, but also submerged large areas of New Orleans in a toxic sludge. Republican congressman Joe Barton says soaring energy prices might be Katrina’s “Silver lining.” Is that what North Carolina wants next time there’s a hurricane there?
SAN FRANCISCO, NOVEMBER 2007: M/V Cosco Busan collides with San Francisco Bay Bridge, releasing 58,000 gallons of oil, fouling coastline more than 15 miles away and killing wildlife and affecting fisheries in the area.
KOREA, DECEMBER 2007: Collision causes spill of 2.7 million gallons of crude, affecting 50 miles of coastline and destroying oyster and abalone farms, the bedrock of the local economy – as well as massive damage to wildlife.
November, 2004: MV Athos spills 265,000 gallons of crude into the Delaware River near Philadelphia, killing hundreds of birds, turtles, and fish, and spreading an oil slick over 50 square miles. The oil can kill the birds in three different ways, said Christina Motoyoshi, executive director of the rescue center in Delaware, which had received 30 birds by Sunday evening. "What happens to the birds in general is that it breaks down their feather structure, causing them to get cold and hypothermia," she said. "They can also lose buoyancy and then drown. Or they will ingest it when they preen themselves."
December, 2004: Malaysian Ship spills 42,000 gallons near Unalaska.
August, 2003, Spain: Tanker Prestige spills 20 million gallons of oil off coast of Spain, impacting marine life for an estimated 10 years.
February, 2000: Pipeline running through John Heinz Wildlife Refuge bursts open, releasing 190,000 gallons of crude into Pennsylvania’s largest saltwater marsh.
December 1999: The tanker Erika sank 75km (45 miles) off the coast of Brittany, leaking 20,000 tonnes of oil into the sea. Fuel contaminated 400km of coastline after the tanker broke up on 12 December 1999.
The Exxon Valdez oil spill damaged Bristol BayPrince William Sound, Alaska in a way that it still hasn’t fully recuperated from. Here are some other historical oil spills.
And og course, the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill that led to the ban, as diaries earlier today on dKos.
ADDENDUM: dday sends me the following additional links:
Debbie Cook, on the board of directors of the ASPO and running in CA-46 against Dana Rohrabacher, weighs in here:
http://www.calitics.com/...
I also have a by-no-means comprehensive roundup...
http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/...