Posted on 03/27/2008 9:13:11 AM PDT by thackney
County Commissioner Jack Mariano has his way, state and national leaders will jump on the bandwagon of offshore oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.
The District 5 commissioner, who represents northwest Pasco, argues that foreign countries are cashing in on profits the state could be gaining instead. As the price of gasoline climbs closer to $4 per gallon, he reasons, government leaders should be looking for ways to increase the local supply.
Mariano faces strong opposition to his plan, however, not the least of which comes from his fellow board members, who passed a resolution by a 4-1 vote Tuesday urging Congress to resist "any attempts" to allow drilling along the Florida coast. State leaders also have opposed such efforts, but the decision would be up to national leaders.
District 4 Commissioner Michael Cox, at the prompting of an environmental group, asked the county attorney's office to prepare a resolution opposing offshore drilling that was read at Tuesday's meeting. The resolution says Florida's fragile coast is tied to the economy and should be protected from toxic chemicals released during oil and gas drilling. The resolution also stated that an oil spill could be devastating to the ecology and tourism, which sustains the economy.
Mariano, who heard about offshore drilling at a recent conference, argued there is little evidence to show it is harmful to the environment. He said oil rigs near Louisiana suffered little damage after hurricanes Katrina and Rita plowed through in 2005.
"When Katrina came through, there was absolutely no damage to the environment or oil rigs," Mariano said. "With that information, I don't want to see us concentrating on this. ... Even if we don't drill, China will. They will tap into our supplies. I don't think it's in our economic best interest to fight this. I don't think we should stand in the way of oil exploration out there."
Cox disagreed, noting that there always is a risk of a spill. He cited the Exxon Valdez spill that devastated marine life after the ship ran aground off the coast of Alaska on March 24, 1989. An estimated 11 million gallons of crude oil spilled and spread along 1,300 miles of coastline, according to the National Marine Fisheries Services Web site.
"I couldn't disagree with you more ... that an oil derrick off Pasco County is not going to make a difference," Cox told Mariano at the meeting.
Mariano said drilling will happen in the Gulf whether national leaders want it or not. China plans to start drilling near Cuba, he said.
"You're going to see an oil rig there, whether it's in American or foreign control," he said. "Our supply of oil is being held hostage at $100 per" barrel.
Cox said Wednesday that he strongly opposes drilling for oil off of Pasco's coast.
"There is oil drilling already in the Gulf. I don't want to see it happen here," he said. "They say the United States has only 3 percent of the world's oil supply. How much could be out in the Gulf? I don't think it's worth the ecological risk. I think Commissioner Mariano is delusional if he thinks oil drilling rigs are safe."
I would but I'm afraid they'd enjoy it too much....
The best fishing in the world is by the stanchions of an oil rig - both on top of the water and scuba. My cousin held a world's record for the largest Jew fish speared and he did it by the oil rigs. Also if you are a deer hunter, the deer cross the pipelines that weave through the woods in Louisiana and I assume other places as well. To my knowledge, there has never been a problem with spillage or pollution of the waters. These people are chicken littles with brains and spines to match. I would just like to slap them into reality!
The Gulf Stream is on the east cosat of Florida the oil is on the west coast..
The Gulf Loop is a strong current in the eastern Gulf of Mexico. It can be a short loop (Step 1), or stretched very long (Step 2). When it is long, it often pinches off a spinning body of water called an eddy (Step 3). These eddies drift westward over many weeks (Step 4). They slowly lose energy in the western Gulf. This cycle repeats itself several times a year.
The Gulf Stream comes into the gulf through the Yucatan straights, splits in half with one current turning north just off the Florida coast then looping south of New Orleans and rejoining the main current in an easterly direction. The other half continues through the Florida Straights turning to the north by north east to continue past Nova Scotia. It is in the Gulf...... that may be why it is called the GULF STREAM
The largest find is actually on the southern side of Florida. See post 26
Actually that map is incorrect. The direction of the counter current flows from east to west and the main current is mid gulf. I have made a livng running boats for almost 40 years. Trust me.;0)
Which is it?
As the current flows in between Florida and Cuba, does it normally go to the East or to the West?
Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies
(a research institute of the University of Miami located in the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science)
Surface Currents in the Caribbean Sea
The Florida Current
http://oceancurrents.rsmas.miami.edu/caribbean/florida.html
The two happiest days of the environmentalist’s lives were the day the Exxon Valdez crashed and when Chernobyl happened.
They’ve drug out those two canards ever since as “evidence” of what CAN happen. Facts be damned.
Ted Kennedy has discharged more hazardous waste from his little sloop than any oil rig ever did.
My strategy is to tell all the old farts that live here that they get to share in the profits. Match SS dollar for dollar.
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