Californians Want PERMANENT Protection Against Offshore Drilling

Brazil Discovered s Large Oil Reserve In Deep Waters of Atlantic
Liberals have kept the US from building any new oil refineries in the US since 1976
Even though there are abundant reserves of natural gas and oil off the California coast, California produces only 16 percent of its total needs.

With 4.00 a gallon gasoline on the horizon and the ethanol policy bringing extremely high food prices and threatening to starve the world, good old liberal California is making another effort to insure no drilling for oil will ever take place on their North Coast. The environment and animals are far more important than the welfare of people. (Like minded liberals have kept the US from building any new oil refineries in the US since 1976) A federal moratorium on oil and gas leasing has already kept drilling out of much of California's offshore waters for 27 years, but extending it requires a yearly congressional vote. 1 But California liberal environmentalists want even more.

Several congressional attempts have been made to lift the annual moratorium off California's coasts to allow drilling, and liberals have tried to make the moratorium permanent so there will never be any drilling there. "In the battle against offshore oil drilling, Sonoma County for the first time has cleared a congressional hurdle on the path toward protecting its rugged coastline forever." 2 (Same as 1 above) The bill, H.R. 1187, which would expand the boundaries of two national marine sanctuaries, to add 1,740 nautical square miles of protected ocean, is scheduled to be discussed in committee tomorrow, March 12, 08. 3. The only permanent protection against offshore drilling and exploration is through national marine sanctuary status. 4 Same as 1 above

"There are already 13 national marine sanctuaries in 11 U.S. states and territories. ..The sanctuaries cover more than 18,000 square miles of ocean." But liberals want more, so they are trying to "expand" the areas which would be easier to do than asking for a new marine sanctuary. 5.

"Thirty-six leases were bought off the coast by oil companies for about $1.25 billion in the 1960s, '70s and '80s but were never developed. The federal Minerals Management Service, which oversees oil and gas development in federal waters, estimates that they contain about 512 million barrels of oil." 6

In 2007 Brazil Discovered s Large Oil Reserve In Deep Waters of Atlantic which may hold 5 billion to 8 billion barrels of crude oil and natural-gas reserves. The potential new deposits may raise Brazil's oil reserves from the world's 17th biggest to among the top 10. 7.Who knows how much oil we may have discovered if the environmentalists would have let us drill in these areas. But instead they dream up a vision like ethanol. The result: the oil market and food market are now competing for the corn product and causing food prices to rise along with fuel prices, driving more and more people into poverty.

At a time when people are in such stress over these gas and food prices, the people and our Congressmen should rise up in indignation over this matter and vote against H.R. 1187 as well as vote to open up oil drilling off the coast of California.

"According to the California Energy Commission, the state [California] consumes over 6.1 billion cubic feet of natural gas every year. Even though there are abundant reserves of natural gas and oil off the California coast, California produces only 16 percent of its total needs. Of that 16 percent, only 2 percent is produced from offshore drilling. The rest of the state's voracious appetite for natural gas is supplied by: Rocky Mountain states 10 percent; Canada 28 percent; and the Southwest 46 percent. 8

It is time to quit giving special treatment to California, to the environmentalists, and to putting animals above people.

For documentation to this article go to this link: http://www.wpaag.org/Ethanol%20-%20Californians%20want%20permanent%20protection.htm