First off, I'm not a Fox Fan, and while they didn't site the source of this 63% Natural Seepage figure, it appears to be a valid number from a National Academy of Science study called "Oil In the Sea III: Inputs and Effects". An excerpt of which can be found here:

http://www.noia.org/website/article.asp?id=129

However, from that same study:

"Recognized by geologists for decades as indicating the existence of potentially economic reserves of petroleum, these seeps release vast amounts of crude oil annually. Yet these large volumes are released at a rate low enough that the surrounding ecosystem can adapt and even thrive in their presence."

While offshore drilling technology continues to improve, and can be done somewhat "safely" when proper controls are in place (depends on your definition of safe), it is not going to solve any of the US's energy problems in the short or long term and therefore not worth the environmental risk. Here's why:

1) Even if new off shore drilling was approved, and even if companies found reserves worth tapping, it would take many years before even a drop was extracted (EPA approvals, building infrastructure etc)

2) Even with the extraction hurdles overcome, refining capacity is at roughly the same levels as in the 1980's, thus requiring additional infrastructure investments.

3) Massive economic growth in countries like India and China has caused DEMAND for oil to skyrocket while supplies have remained constant (or even declined depending on who you ask). This is the main reason oil prices continue to climb; the rest of the world wants to live like Americans too!

When you factor in that these two countries make up about 1/3 of the world's population (and are expanding quickly), the amount of NEW oil required to lower oil prices is STAGGERING.

Conclusion:

So even if Fox got the numbers right here, the REALITY is that it doesn't matter if offshore drilling is safe because it's won't help anyone in a pertinent time frame and is thus not worth risking further damage to already fragile ecosystems. The ONLY answer is 1) Conservation + 2) Innovation and for that we need to start pumping more money into R&D and stop dumping money into nation building.

Science, it works bitches!



(sorry, not sure where that came from, it started as innocent research and went terribly terribly astray!)

^ It's easy to get carried away when looking into a Fox News distortion.

*politics and *election08 since this one of the hot topics, and Fox meddling in the midst is always good fun.

For the record, that famous Fox banner said:

BUSH: "Now the ball is squarely in congress' court"

EXPERTS: Oil Drilling could be Good for Environment

EXPERTS: Offshore Drilling Produces Less Spillage

EXPERTS: Oil Drilling could be Good for Environment (again)

Oh, and their "Fair and Balanced" logo was on there too.

Adding video to channels (Election08, Politics) - requested by NetRunner.

Dont you guys understand ?
We must drill this oil so we can burn it, and stop it from being such a natural disaster on our precious beaches!!

EXACTLY. Even if it is safe to drill, it's not safe to burn. Unless anybody thinks the air quality above major cities is good for us.

>> ^charliem:
Dont you guys understand ?
We must drill this oil so we can burn it, and stop it from being such a natural disaster on our precious beaches!!

Am I the only one the noticed the guy misreading his own figures for dramatic effect??? "from 3.6 BILLION barrels in the 70s to 440,000 in the 90s, to just 1000 now."

I am sure this was intentional, a ruse to trick those not looking at the screen. Devious f^cks.

Oil drilling good for the environment. Sure. So is exploratory surgery. But it's never the same after you cut, is it?