Offshore Drilling

I believe this is my first political, environmental, and energy related post. The subject of offshore drilling is something which I feel very strongly about. Enough so that I wrote a letter to both of my senators from Texas. I urge you to do the same in your state.

Beach View - Photo by Lance and Erin

Dear Senators Hutchison and Cornyn,

Having recently read President Bush’s plans on offshore drilling, I became quite alarmed that our country may be too quick to take actions which will have, if any, a delayed and very temporary effect on our energy crisis.

In a time when the world is being threatened by global warming and pollution, when our coral reefs are dying from contaminates and increase in water temperature – it seems that allowing offshore drilling near our Texas coastline would be simply irresponsible, nearsighted, and selfish.

Yes, our energy costs have gone higher and I understand that for everybody it makes life more difficult. However, for the first time in a long history of environmental skepticism and indifference, we are beginning to finally see a cultural shift in the United States where more people are actually thinking harder about their own personal energy consumption. Higher gas prices does have a benefit. Unfortunately, it seems many people will not consider what vehicles they drive, their commute distance, or to not leave their automobiles idling for 15 minutes at a time unless it hits their pocketbook. Corporations have no problem shipping items and food across the entire country (or from Mexico and Canada), even when goods can be produced locally, until it affects the quarterly balance sheet.

The real US Energy crisis is not a current low supply of oil, but a mentality that energy supply should be cheap, unlimited and constantly accessible, and that we deserve such a supply no matter what consequences it may have to our country or the rest of the world. Offshore drilling will only push that necessary cultural mind shift off to a point in the future where it may be to late.

Texas is hot enough. Its beaches are already polluted enough. I do not, for one, look forward to basking in 115 degree weather in Galveston covered in a grey film of crude oil enjoying the smells of rotting fish that washed up on shore while enjoying a view of oil rigs littering the horizon. Compared to many parts of the Caribbean and Gulf – we’re not that far off from that nightmare in Texas already. Why further it along in the name of politics? I doubt this is what Texans truly want.

I beg of you to please reconsider your stance on offshore drilling to keep our Texas shores clean. I hope that you can see in your heart that it is the right thing to do, no matter how temporarily burdening it may be on our economy until we come up with alternative energy sources and adjust our way of life to be more sustainable.

Thank you for listening.

Sincerely,

Brian Saghy