Florida's oil reserve is untapped. If we are able to utilize Florida's oil resourse we are looking at an economic gain that is going boost profit margins in the US and reduce travel costs for all Americans. Up until the BP Oil Spill, drilling for oil in the Gulf of Mexico, or Alaska was our simple solution to the rise in oil costs due to the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. The riots in Cairo, Egypt and the quagmire in Lybia prove it is an unsettled region that shows it isn't going to be resolved for quite some time. We need to get hold of our market and stablize our economy. This is going to be difficult with the recent spill so fresh in our minds.
In a reaction to the Interior Departments plan for drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, congressman Cliff Stearns said "I am continuing my work with other members, Governor Bush, and Chairman Pombo of the Resources Committee on a workable plan that would give Florida permanent control over its offshore resources," This was in an effort to allow Florida to prevent new drilling of its coasts.
Stearns' Opening Remarks at Energy & Oversight, Hearing on Combating the BP Oil Spill "officials in Louisiana are still waiting for the federal government to provide feet and boom to approve an emergeny permit to implement their plan to dredge and build a new barrier island to prevent even more oil from reaching their marshes and wetlands. Mr. chairman, Saudi Arabia had a oil spill in the Gulf it was many times this and they used their ships and barges to vacume up the spill, in fact there's many counties around the world have volunteered with the state department including Canada, and France, and Germany and others United Kingdom to help with the idea of provinding technical expertise booms chemical dispersments, oil pumps skimmers, and wildlife treatment and none of that has been accepted by this administration the vast majority of assistance has not been utilized the blood fact is the administration is on the watch its their responsibility everybody knew the Minerals Management Service was not effective there have been so many inspecters reports on this it should have been reformed it should have been done on the presidents watch certainly he has responsibility for this..."
President Obama asked for a rapid response in Louisiana, Alabama, as well as Florida in a press conference in New Orleans. "here in Louisiana where the oil has hit most rapidly there are still areas where for example the mayor here was talking to fisherman who want to build up some barriers near estuaries, and areas that are particularly vulnerable, Thad Allen is going to be following up with each of the parrish presidents in terms of figuring out whats going on..."
"One of the things we have done to make sure that organizational things are working the way they should is we now have a Coast Gaurd official who is stationed with each parrish president and now a BP representative who is stationed with each parrish president so that they have direct access to making sure that any information any problems they've got are being shot up to Thad and he can respond quickly..."
President Obama's response was more than ample, he did his best to coordinate the clean up efforts. The sight of seabirds covered in oil and volunteers walking the shoreline in muckboots is concrete evidence of the environmental cost.
Stearns questioning BP chairman and president "lets take a worse case scenario, if the wind doesnt have an impact it is basicly the current, is there a worse case scenario where it could hit the Florida coast?"
The first thing we need to do is repair Florida's coast. The oil spill did in fact hit Pensacola and the Panhandle. We are fortunate that it hasn't got into the Gulfstream current. If the blob of oil drifting out there in the Gulf ever reached the Marquesas or the Dry Tortugas and gets draw in to Florida Bay or gets to the Atlantic coast the environmental impact is going to take a toll on one of the most fragile ecosystems in the world, the coral reef and its symbiant estuary, the Everglades. If we are ever going to drill for oil on the Florida coast we need to plan ahead if there ever is another spill. The topic of drilling now is somewhat out of scope since the Deepwater Horizon spill, and deemed a hazard. If we look at the economic impact and the cost of gas now, it might get us to be more openminded about the idea of rigs on the Florida coast. The conflict in the Middle East drags on and the cost of a barrel of oil keeps going up.
