Offshore Drilling: Why Was It Banned?

[sarahiki]

I would really like to keep this non-political. So, aside from political posturing, what were the reasons for the Congressional and Executive bans on offshore drilling? Not ANWAR, but offshore. I heard a story on NPR this morning about how Bush has lifted the executive ban. McCain supports new offshore drilling, Obama does not. I understand that benefits would occur far down the road, but that argument aside, why not start exploring? What are the disavantages?

Thanks... I know many of you are in the energy industry so I figure there's some knowledge out there.

[CDeb]

I would really like to keep this non-political. So, aside from political posturing, what were the reasons for the Congressional and Executive bans on offshore drilling? Not ANWAR, but offshore. I heard a story on NPR this morning about how Bush has lifted the executive ban. McCain supports new offshore drilling, Obama does not. I understand that benefits would occur far down the road, but that argument aside, why not start exploring? What are the disavantages?

Thanks... I know many of you are in the energy industry so I figure there's some knowledge out there.

The bans are solely a response to environmental concerns from offshore drilling. Those concerns have their root in one event in particular, the Santa Barbara oil spill in 1969, which resulted from a blowout on a Unocal platform.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Barbara_oil_spill

In California, many of the platforms are still there and production from new wells could be on line relatively quickly (12-18 mos.).

[houstonmacbro]

I say technology has improved substantially (or should have) in the 40 years since 1969.

Let 'em drill.

[marmer]

And at the time of those bans there wasn't all that much thought given to the world situation changing so quickly, and the belief was that we would have enough oil until some distant high-tech fusion-driven future.

[houstonmacbro]

And at the time of those bans there wasn't all that much thought given to the world situation changing so quickly, and the belief was that we would have enough oil until some distant high-tech fusion-driven future.

Well, we see how that turned out.

LOL

[TheNiche]

The bans are solely a response to environmental concerns from offshore drilling. Those concerns have their root in one event in particular, the Santa Barbara oil spill in 1969, which resulted from a blowout on a Unocal platform.

mos.).

Although the stated concern is almost always environmental, people with beach houses in states like Florida and California seem to really dislike the prospect of lights out in the ocean, visible at night. These are very wealthy and well-connected people, of course.

[RedScare]

Although the stated concern is almost always environmental, people with beach houses in states like Florida and California seem to really dislike the prospect of lights out in the ocean, visible at night. These are very wealthy and well-connected people, of course.

...and Massachusetts.

[MidtownCoog]

...and Massachusetts.

If they can stay up that late...

[CDeb]

Although the stated concern is almost always environmental, people with beach houses in states like Florida and California seem to really dislike the prospect of lights out in the ocean, visible at night. These are very wealthy and well-connected people, of course.

If the debate were framed in those terms, ie "we can't drill because it'll ruin my view of the ocean," well, we'd have been drilling in those places a long time ago.

...and Massachusetts.

...where they don't even want a wind farm offshore. Green NIMBYs are the funniest.

[KinkaidAlum]

I wouldn't call the people who are against the offshore wind farm Green NIMBYs. They're just NIMBYs. There is plenty of support all over this Commonwealth for the Wind Farm. Hell, many owners and year round residents of the Cape and Islands support the effort. That said, folks with $25 million Nantucket and Vineyard homes don't want it. These are largely second homes but they belong to the movers and shakers. Many, if not most of these people, would hardly be called Green (unless you are counting cash).

[MidtownCoog]

I wouldn't call the people who are against the offshore wind farm Green NIMBYs. They're just NIMBYs. There is plenty of support all over this Commonwealth for the Wind Farm. Hell, many owners and year round residents of the Cape and Islands support the effort. That said, folks with $25 million Nantucket and Vineyard homes don't want it. These are largely second homes but they belong to the movers and shakers. Many, if not most of these people, would hardly be called Green (unless you are counting cash).

Agree.

But I think many are alluding to the 500lb. Gorilla in the room although they dare not speak its name; Senator Kennedy.

[dbigtex56]

I wouldn't call the people who are against the offshore wind farm Green NIMBYs. They're just NIMBYs.

A fine distinction.

Any energy source - save muscles - is suspect.

[Mark F. Barnes]

In all actuality the Pacific coast issue has ZERO to do with Environmental impact, unless you consider those multi-million dollar mansions, that are currently burning up or sliding of the mountain on the next hard rain; if you consider their views "eye-sore" to be of obvious environmental impact. You can currently drill offshore California, as long as you don't put up a new platform to do it. The platforms six miles off shore, that's right six miles, are an eyesore to the locals that live across US101 aka PCH, when the sunsets. Have you really ever looked at a platform from six miles away. It's pretty miniscule. In Texas we let them in a little closer, no closer than 2 miles out. At ground level across the water, line of sight is about 9.5 miles. A platform at 6 miles is not much more than a speck on the horizon, it's seen a little easier at night, because of the lights, then it's not much more than a twinkle on the horizon. If you have a home up on the Hillside, then your line of sight is about 14-15 miles depending on your elevation, still that speck is no bigger. I designed and managed a drilling project from Grace Platform, 10.5 miles offshore, where we drill 17 extended reach wells producing in excess of 10 Bcf/day and 12K bbls/day, They have a ZERO spillage record, over $15 billion was spent on an environmental impact team to monitor activities, and ever since 2006 this local Oxnard Attorney and his wife have been on a crusade to get Grace shut down. They've come up with every doom and gloom possibility theories to try and convince anyone to listen to them. Thus far they've accomplished nothing, and they've trotted out all their "Celebrates" to draw media, even Gore made an appearance or two. Veneco has built Desalination plants to assist onshore water shortages, but no thank you from the peanut gallery. Any time a dead fish floats up within 20 miles of the place, an entire MMS EPA investigation is called out, and they never find anything that relates it to the platform works. There are offshore reserves on the Pacific coast that would make the Saudis blush if we were able to get at them. But you can only do so much with the restrictions currently in place. The existing platforms are already stretched thin. Simply put, more installations need to be implemented, but as it is right now they cannot put up any new structures. It's just a load of crap. Pelosi has help hold a strangle hold on any offshore expansion for years, so here we sit.