Opinion: Deepwater Shows Need for Clean Energy

(April 30) -- As the oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico hits Louisiana's shoreline, this bountiful but already stressed ecosystem and its local economy are facing possible destruction. It has become painfully clear in the past few days that America needs a safer, cleaner and more economical approach to energy development.

I applaud President Barack Obama's decision to suspend any new offshore drilling until a full investigation is completed. But we can't stop there. We need to pass comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation that will help America shift to cleaner fuels, cut oil imports in half and generate nearly 2 million jobs.

Offshore drilling is dangerous work and the cost of accidents and failure is far too high, as this tragedy reminds us. We have an oil slick the size of West Virginia smothering marine life across the Gulf of Mexico. It has already begun to poison the fertile Mississippi Delta and the ecologically rich coastline along four states. Our officials had to resort to lighting the oil on fire.

We have to do better than that. We have to do better at protecting America's vibrant oceans economy, which generates billions of dollars each year. In 2004, ocean-related tourism and recreation alone contributed more than $116 billion to the economy and supplied more than 2 million jobs -- jobs that depend on clean, healthy beaches and abundant fish, not oil slicks.

Fishermen in the Gulf of Mexico know their livelihood is at risk. The state of Louisiana opened shrimp season early Thursday in an effort to let shrimpers harvest as much as possible before the oil spill infiltrates fishing grounds. Fishermen who struggled to rebuild their business after Hurricane Katrina are worried they won't rebound after this. Several Louisiana shrimpers have filed a class-action lawsuit against BP, the owners of the oil rig, and its contractor, Halliburton, for endangering their income.

We don't have to jeopardize our oceans economy in the name of fuel production. If we want to boost our domestic oil supply, we should focus on enhanced oil recovery from existing fields, a process that can supply more than 10 times the amount of oil that could be produced by drilling in our oceans over the same period.

Meanwhile, returning to more offshore drilling, as President Obama announced in March, will do little to reduce America's oil imports.

According to the Department of Energy's Energy Information Administration, drilling in America's previously closed ocean areas "would not have a significant impact on domestic crude oil and natural gas production ... before 2030." Even then, "because oil prices are determined on the international market ... any impact on average wellhead prices is expected to be insignificant."

This spill has highlighted the very real dangers of offshore drilling. That's why the Obama administration should immediately suspend the current processes for opening up new areas to drilling. Before comments are due and decisions are made on how to proceed, the American people -- and the administration – should have a full understanding of the causes and impacts of the Gulf of Mexico spill.

For areas already open to leasing, there should be a timeout on proceeding with new offshore drilling until after the independent investigation of the Deepwater Horizon disaster and an assessment of whether and how such accidents can be avoided in the future. Likewise, the exploratory drilling planned for the Arctic this summer by Shell Oil should be suspended until the investigation has been completed.

In the meantime, we must urge our senators to pass the clean energy and climate legislation -- legislation that will shift America away from oil, toward cleaner and renewable sources that can't spill and won't run out.

As we watch the horrific spectacle of yet another oil spill ravage our waters, our wildlife, our fishing and tourism industries, we must ask, once again: What will it take to get our leaders to act? We must pass a clean energy bill that is designed to prevent tragedies like this in the future. The work has begun. It must move ahead now.

Frances Beinecke is the president of Natural Resources Defense Council, which uses law, science and the support of 1.2 million members and online activists to ensure a safe and healthy environment for all living things. Before assuming leadership of the organization, Beinecke worked in NRDC's Water & Coastal Program, advocating for stronger protections for marine ecosystems.


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