http://www.myfoxorlando.com/dpp/money/031111-Gas-prices-stir-debate-on-oil-drilling
Fox, Orlando: Gas prices stir debate on oil drilling
Updated: Friday, 11 Mar 2011, 10:34 PM EST
Published : Friday, 11 Mar 2011, 10:34 PM EST
WINTER PARK, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) – Sky high prices at the pump is fueling talk among Republican lawmakers for more offshore oil drilling. One of the areas targeted for drilling is just off the coast of the Florida.
During the Florida Legislature’s current 60-day session, a proposed drilling ban will go before both the House and the Senate. It would prevent oil production from the high water line basically to international waters.
“These issues always come up when all prices spike,” said Rep. Scott Randolph, D-Orlando, who is concerned that disasters like the BP oil spill could be repeated due to poor oversight and regulation. “It’s clearly been shown the federal agencies in charge of overseeing oil drilling in the Gulf have been completely inept at those regulations,” he added.
Rep. Scott Plakon, a Republican from Longwood, disagrees. “Now might be the safest time in decades to drill out in the Gulf because this tragedy’s bought a lot of attention to safety issues, ” said Plakon, who believes drilling offshore will help pump life into the economy. “There are thousands of jobs that have been lost there, so we need to get these people back to work.”
However, Rep. Randolph worries about Florida’s pristine coastline. “Florida has a huge tourism industry. As we saw with the one well 50 miles off the coast of Louisiana and the impact that it had here in Florida.” Randolph said he would support oil drilling if someone could prove it’s safe, but right now, he doesn’t see that happening and even if it does, he says it still won’t affect gas prices. “Anybody that thinks it’s going to significantly reduce oil prices, it’s just not. Not enough oil’s going to come out of the Gulf to change that price.”
Concern over rising prices has people at the pumps talking about the politics of energy, and the alternatives to oil.
After the Gulf oil spill, Governor Crist called a special session, asking the legislature to put a constitutional drilling ban to the voters — but they didn’t.
In the 1970s, the pain of Arab oil embargoes and the Iranian Revolution led the United States to flirt with energy independence. But in the years since, consumers seem only to be intermittently lulled and angered at the pump.
The big question is, what now? How much will we pay before we find a solution to the energy equation?
Special thanks to Richard Charter