Free Republic

A video of fish swimming around underneath an oil rig. You can clearly see the piping and frameworks that comprises the underpinnings. You can see the rig in the background when they stand in their boats to show off the fish they caught. This video is useful for when the oil drilling debate comes back.

A Florida tourism group has dropped its long-standing opposition to offshore oil and gas drilling, saying that a cheap national fuel supply would trigger a boom for the Sunshine State's No. 1 industry. When gasoline prices skyrocketed to more than $4 per gallon this summer tourist spots such as Florida suffered, as would-be vacationers stayed home. So in response, the Florida Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus (FACVB) has adopted a new policy that encourages a "comprehensive, long-term energy policy" that includes increased oil and natural gas production in the Gulf of Mexico along Florida's coast.

Where our line of sight hits the horizon is the distance from our boat to the horizon. A small boat first coming into view is assumed to be at that distance. In the picture above, the sailor cannot see the island's palm trees. If an object, such as a large ship or a palm tree on an island, sticks up well above the water, we can see it from a further distance. Here is how we can calculate how far we can see from a boat on the sea. First let's assume that we are sitting in the cockpit of...

Democrats to let the moratorium expire on September 30. From AP. Democrats have decided to allow a quarter-century ban on drilling for oil off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts to expire next week, conceding defeat in an month-long battle with the White House and Republicans set off by $4 a gallon gasoline prices this summer. Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey, D-Wis., told reporters Tuesday that a provision continuing the moratorium will be dropped this year from a stopgap spending bill to keep the government running after Congress recesses for the election. Republicans have made lifting the ban a key campaign...

ALLEN WEST F O R C O N G R E S S September 18, 2008 For Immediate Release: Ron Klein: Worthless on Energy, Ignoring the Economy (Boca Raton, FL.) Once again, the do-nothing Congress "rookie of the year", spent the day bragging about a worthless energy bill while Wall Street and the American tax payer suffered heavy losses. The Comprehensive American Energy Security and Consumer Protection Act (H.R. 6899) passed the House by a 236-189 vote total. "The American people are tired of Ron Klein and the cabal of status quo Congressmen in Washington focused on political gain instead...

U.S. offshore oil fields could hold enough crude to supply all of the country's needs for more than 11 years. Or they might not. No one knows for certain because, with new offshore oil drilling banned on the East and West coasts, no one has gone looking for oil there in years. Now congressional Republicans are pushing hard to make offshore drilling a key issue in the presidential campaign, hoping to channel the anger Americans feel over historically high oil and gasoline prices. More oil, they argue, will bring lower prices. The federal government estimates the nation's outer continental shelf...

Energy Security: With the prospect of an oil shortage and $12 gas, the energy crisis is turning into a national emergency. One solution: Give states the option to develop offshore tracts. Uncle Sam bans states from drilling in the Atlantic, Pacific and eastern Gulf mainly to protect the environment. Some 85% of the U.S. coastline is off-limits to energy production - including huge reserves off Florida's coast, which China is exploiting in Cuban waters. To change that, a lawmaker is offering a novel idea. Rep. Sue Myrick of the House Energy and Commerce panel wants to let coastal states decide...

July 26, 2006 Sen. Bill Nelson: A Lesson in Civics 101 Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL), longtime foe of tapping US resources off of the Florida coast (even though it's way past the sight line and you can't "spill" natural gas), now sees the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act inching slowly toward passage. He appeared at first to be on board with the bill, but has now tossed up a new roadblock, one that should mystify anyone who has taken a basics civics course. Sen. Nelson's latest gambit is his effort to seek assurances (not sure from whom) that the...

Jindal Making Progress for Louisiana’s Share of Oil & Gas Revenues My thoughts are at the bottom of this article and list of supporters. Please also keep scrolling down to read my essay on The Future of Louisiana. Rep. Bobby Jindal Contact: Kim Allen 202-225-3015 Jindal Bill Update: 89 members representing 28 states support Louisiana's fair share Washington, May 5 - Congressman Bobby Jindal's (LA-01) "Domestic Energy Production through Offshore Exploration and Equitable Treatment of State Holdings Act of 2006" (H.R. 4761) continues to build support in Congress and across the country. The bill will bring Louisiana up to 75...

President Bush had to twist a lot of arms to squeak his Central American Free Trade Agreement through Congress this week [as] Members prepared for the August recess by throwing themselves a giant spending party. Speaker Dennis Hastert... directed the House to pass a $286.4 billion highway bill. He expects Mr. Bush to sign this because it is "only" $2.4 billion more than the President's 2005 veto limit, which is "only" $28 billion more than his 2004 veto limit of $256 billion, which was "only" a 17% increase over the previous six-year highway spending level.... The bill is all about...

<p>Gov. Gray Davis accused his GOP rival, Bill Simon Jr., of "hypocrisy" on offshore oil drilling Friday and urged him to support California's lawsuit against the federal government aimed at preventing new drilling.</p> <p>The governor sent Simon a letter questioning his commitment to opposing additional drilling.</p>

<p>SACRAMENTO (AP) - Gov. Gray Davis accused his Republican opponent Friday of trying to ``masquerade as a savior of the coast'' while actually showing a willingness to accept more offshore oil drilling.</p> <p>He challenged GOP nominee Bill Simon to support a state lawsuit that's designed to head off more drilling in federally controlled waters.</p>