Wasserman Schultz attacks Bachmann suggestion of Everglades drilling

The Hill ^

[clintonh8r]

I own property on two of Florida's coasts, and also adjacent to the 'Glades. I say drill wherever the oil or gas is. No NIMBY here!

I am also in Allen West's district, which has the unfortunate coincidence of making Debbie Blabbermouth Slut's district next to me.

[ilovesarah2012]

The refuge extends across 144,000 acres of what remains of the northern reaches of the Everglades.

In addition to providing vital habitat for more than 257 species of birds, along with a large population of alligators, the refuge also is one of the three Everglades water conservation areas where levees help contain stormwater that supplements regional supplies.

Those conservation areas stretch across western Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties, feeding water into drainage canals that spread throughout South Florida. Water in those canals helps boost groundwater levels, which helps stop saltwater from seeping into freshwater supplies.

Water from conservation areas also can seep its way into the aquifers that provide 90 percent of South Florida’s drinking water.

http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2011-08-28/news/fl-wildlife-refuge-drought-palm-20110827_1_everglades-water-conservation-areas-water-into-drainage-canals-drinking-water

[cripplecreek]

Michigan is a swamp and we have working wells in all 76 counties in the lower peninsula. On nights with low cloud cover I see gas flares all around. The bright light in the center was a drilling rig.

[thackney]

Do you think that Texas, Louisiana and all the other drilling states don't have water from the surface feed their aquifers?

[MrB]

It’s simply a cryin’ shame that we can’t make liberals experience the consequences of their ideology here and now without the rest of us having to live it as well.

Oppose energy developement? Bam! you live in a cold, unlit cave for a year.

Support “diversity”? Bam! you live in the inner city for a year.

Want higher taxes? Bam! your individual tax rate is now 90% for the year.

[chessplayer]

“Like most Michiganders, I’m pretty protective of the great lakes but I support safe and responsible directional drilling under them.”

---

You mean safe and responsible like BP in the Gulf of Mexico? I would NEVER allow drilling under the Great Lakes,,,”safe and responsible” or otherwise. They are our greatest source of what little is left of fresh water on this planet,,,so sure, lets let oil companies drill under them so an accident can happen. Good grief. Corporations get a lot of unfair bashing, but face it, their bottom line is to cut corners to make a buck. And they would cut corners on safety. As for Bachmann wanting to drill in the Everglades,,,she is bat sh*t nuts.

[cripplecreek]

What part of directional drilling don’t you get?

Here’s a clue, it means drilling from shore.

[tioga]

huh! that’s funny.

[ilovesarah2012]

I suppose they do.

The water crisis in Texas, the biggest oil- and gas- producing state in the U.S., highlights a continuing debate in North America and Europe over the impact on water supplies of a production technique called hydraulic fracturing. Environmental groups are concerned the so-called fracking method may pose a contamination threat, while farmers in arid regions like south Texas face growing competition for scarce water.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-06-13/worst-drought-in-more-than-a-century-threatens-texas-oil-natural-gas-boom.html

So we are gonna pit farmers against oil companies. How about more drilling in unpopulated areas in Alaska? I’m just never gonna be for drilling in the Everglades.

[cripplecreek]

Great Lakes Directional Drilling Ban Should Be Lifted

State geologists estimate that approximately 30 wells could be directionally drilled under the Great Lakes. Directional drilling, sometimes referred to as slant drilling, is performed at an angle, allowing placement of the well head onshore rather than on a drilling platform in the lake. While director of the Department of Environmental Quality in 1996, I was approached by companies interested in exploring for oil and gas under the Great Lakes. I asked the Michigan Environmental Science Board (a group of scientists, mostly from universities, with environmental and natural resource expertise) to study whether directional drilling under the Great Lakes posed any threat to natural resources.

The Board concluded: "There is little to no risk of contamination to the Great Lakes bottom or waters through releases directly above the bottom hole portion of directionally drilled wells." The Board went on to say: "There is, however, a small risk of contamination at the well head." The board made recommendations on steps that could be taken to mitigate any impact to the Great Lakes from the well head, including locating the wells at least 1,000 feet from the shoreline and implementing proper waste disposal measures. Before the ban, eight wells had been directionally drilled under the Great Lakes without environmental harm.

[thackney]

In Texas we know how to work together. We have a lot of farmers and ranchers that lease their mineral rights.

I've done plenty of field work on oil/gas/pipeline facilities that have cattle guards and have field irrigation systems nearby.

Ranchers say water for fracking isn’t the problem
http://fuelfix.com/blog/2011/08/19/ranchers-say-water-for-fracking-isnt-the-problem/

Hydraulic Fracturing has been done here for 6 decades. We don't need environmentalists trying to scare up false claims. We are not new to working together.

[sargon]

Bachmann suggestion of Everglades drilling

As a South Floridian, I can only say this:

1. Floridians would overwhelmingly oppose any drilling in the Everglades. It is probably the case that a catastrophic oil drilling accident which occurred in the Everglades would be an environmental disaster of monumental proportions, at least for the state.
2. Many Floridians, myself included, are entirely open to oil drilling in the Atlantic ocean anywhere along the Florida coast. Ocean oil spills would be entirely manageable. I'm a staunch libertarian on this issue.
3. Since the entire southern portion of the state, meaning the vast majority of the Everglades, is either State or National Park, Wildlife Refuge, Wildlife Management Area, etc., no oil drilling would ever be likely to occur in the Everglades in any event.
4. This is an obvious blunder for Bachmann, inasmuch as it clearly indicates that she doesn't understand our Florida ecosystem, nor the general protective attitude of its citizens towards it, including me. Again, I say this as a staunch libertarian, but it makes me think she's not ready for prime time.

[sargon]

To followup, I myself was unaware of any oil drilling in or near the Everglades, and suffice it to say that any widespread or large-scale drilling would be overwhelmingly opposed by the citizens of the state, with good reason, and political suicide, in my libertarian opinion. The Everglades is the core of the entire Florida ecosystem, and any oil-related disaster there would be very risky to the health of the entire State economy, and I believe that there is near unanimity among the state citizenry on this issue.

[thackney]

I myself was unaware of any oil drilling in or near the Everglades

Yep, been their for decades without problems. But don't let that cloud your vision of how bad drilling would obviously be.

[cripplecreek]

So much for your “near unanimity”.

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9PCJ5FG0&show_article=1

“The crowd at the upscale retirement community cheered wildly.”

[longtermmemmory]

there are and they have look into drilling wells to see what is there for years.

Why is nobody investigating wasserman shulz’s connections to her sister and brother in law politicians. They have a family corruption government enterprise.

[sargon]

It's been there for decades without problems, and without publicity. And it's on a small scale.

Any large scale use of the Everglades for oil drilling would be widely opposed. There is simply no doubt about that in my mind, as a 46-year resident since my birth.

The fact that large-scale or widespread oil operations would never occur is the only thing that saves Bachmann here.

Let any Presidential candidate try to make a big public issue about the topic and see what happens to them in Florida... it's political suicide.

[longtermmemmory]

most people in florida do not care about the everglades if the even see it. The only time it is seen is during a flyover or if driving across aligator alley.

There is not as much opposition as you would think.

People still talk about the super mega screw up of the miami politicians when they rejected disneyworld.

[sargon]

These sites produce comparatively little oil, about 1,800 barrels a day from 5 operating wells, and the crude oil is generally low-grade and high in sulfur content.

The major concern from environmentalists is of further human and industrial incursions into this delicate ecosystem.

I would venture to say that the "major concern" of "further human and industrial incursions into this delicate ecosystem" extends to the general citizenry of the state, not just so-called environmentalists.

Like I said, widespread or large-scale drilling in the Everglades simply will never happen, and Bachmann should just move on from the issue...

[GOYAKLA]

Pennsuco was on old maps. If you posted a pin on the site today it would be approx. where the Fla. Turnpike Ext. Meets US 27. Another odd fact is the Large coral stone house near by belonged to the family of EX- Gov. Bob Graham. It may still be there. It was the center of “Graham’s Dairy”.
Take a Look.
http://books.google.com/books?id=pqPcan5hNV0C&pg=PA68&lpg=PA68&dq=pennsuco+pipeline&source=bl&ots=mKh207zBKh&sig=qhlzn9eLRp1dmPVvTYwJYuoF_3Q&hl=en&ei=XhBcTvH4O4WbtwfOmNCnDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CDcQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q&f=false