Posted on 09/23/2008 4:57:39 AM PDT by markomalley
PORTSMOUTH — In a move that could bode well for the continued conservation of Georges Bank, the U.S. House of Representatives last week approved an energy plan containing a provision prohibiting exploratory oil drilling in that area.
But with the federal offshore drilling ban set to expire Sept. 30 and the energy plan far from gaining final approval, the future Georges Bank is very much in limbo.
The entire New England House delegation voted for the plan, called the Comprehensive American Energy Security and Consumer Protection Act. It calls for, among other things, the expansion of offshore drilling 50-100 miles off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts; the creation of "hundreds of thousands" of new "green" jobs for the development of alternative energy; and the release of about 10 percent of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
It also prohibits oil and natural gas exploration of any national marine sanctuaries and monuments, as well as Georges Bank.
According to the text of the bill, Georges Bank is "one of the largest and historically important fishing grounds of the United States."
During negotiations last week Rep. William Delahunt, D-Mass., was credited with introducing a last-minute provision calling for the bank to be protected from expanding drilling. The soon-to-expire federal moratorium prevents drilling 3 to 200 miles off both coasts.
Resembling an egg-shaped underwater plateau, Georges Bank has been targeted for oil exploration because of its shallow depth, making drilling less expensive than in deeper areas like the California coast. But the unique shape of the bank creates a circular current that keeps nourishing food sources like plankton readily available to a variety of fish — making it equally important to commercial fishing companies and conservation groups who oppose lifting the federal ban.
Peter Shelley, vice president of the Conservation Law Foundation, called the House bill "irrelevant" to the short-term status of Georges Bank. "The question becomes if Congress passes a resolution that will have continued protection of Georges Bank," said Shelley, whose group pursued legal action that led to the passing of the federal drilling moratorium in 1982.
Shelley conceded the bank's depth — which even 160 miles offshore is still only 150 feet deep — would make it cheaper to drill there, though he pointed out there are no pipelines in the upper Atlantic to transport any oil that could be tapped out. The price of shipping the oil to refineries could offset the benefit of not needing to drill as deep, he said.
Pro-drilling lawmakers have said drilling will provide temporary relief while long-term solutions are explored; Shelley contended that thinking is counterintuitive because fossil fuels contribute to global warming and the benefits of additional oil will not be felt for at least a decade.
Shelley called oil "part of the problem we're in that we have to get out of."
He identified two aspects of oil development that could affect Georges Bank's marine life, which includes cod, haddock, herring, sea scallops, humpback whales, fin whales and dolphins. First, waste discharges from drilling operations would be a continuous problem, he said, and a large-scale oil spill would be particularly damaging because of the bank's whirlpool-like currents.
"A spill on Georges Bank would stay there for quite some time," he said.
U.S. Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., agreed Georges Bank has a "sensitive environmental status."
Gregg said any coastal state — including New Hampshire — should have the final say in deciding on drilling proposals.
An alternative energy plan supported by about 20 senators calls for expanding offshore drilling in the eastern part of the Gulf of Mexico and allow North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and Georgia to decide on their own to allow drilling.
"Any decision on whether to pursue offshore drilling in this area should involve the coastal states," he said.
But not in my backyard
The platforms are great fishing spots.
Stuck on Stupid these fools.
More like "Stuck on Suicide" if you ask me.
LET THE BAN DIE!
DRILL BABY DRILL
Why didn’t pelosi just say drilling is only allowed two galaxies over to the left and only on tuesdays... it would have been more honest.
Stuck on Murder then Suicide.
I thought Georges Bank was fished out?
Of course the New England voters who will be paying record high heating oil costs will blame Bush and not the idiot envirowhackos democrats who at every turn try to block more oil to come to market.
By all means, let’s not introduce any new industry or employment opportunities that might be beneficial to the population of the coastal Northeast.
It’s not like we have an oil shortage or large numbers of unemployed fishermen .....
For thousands of years when there was an oil slick over the whole costal ocean covering Southern California into Mexico and the beaches covered with tar until the current oil platforms were installed and relieved the natural flow it didn’t hurt marine life one bit.
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