Gulf of Mexico oil spill
tops 58,000 gallons
as debate continues on expanding offshore
drilling
Gulf of Mexico oil spill
tops 58,000 gallons
as debate continues on expanding offshore
drilling
July 29,
2009
St. Pete Times Energy Blog:
An underwater pipeline leaked more than 58,000 gallons of
crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico on Saturday, the New Orleans Times-Picayune is
reporting. The spill, which occurred about 30 miles off the Louisiana coast, has
now spread to cover 80 square miles -- up from just 28 square miles on Monday.
The cause is still under investigation.
The spill "was among the largest in recent years in U.S.
waters," Reuters reports.
The spill from Shell Oil's pipeline may not reach land, but
its effects are rippling through Florida. Opponents of expanding drilling in the
gulf spread the story as yet another reason to keep the eastern gulf clear of
offshore rigs (and the pipelines that would bring the oil
onshore).
Legislation was introduced this week by Sens. Lisa Murkowski,
R-Alaska, and Mary Landrieu, D-La., that would bring oil drilling to within 45
miles of the coast. Gov. Charlie Crist, who flip-flopped on offshore drilling
during last year's presidential race, dodged questions Tuesday about whether he
would support this latest bill.
"I've always said it needs to be far enough, clean enough and
safe enough to protect Florida's beautiful beaches,'' Crist said. "I also am
cognizant of the fact that it sure would be nice to be energy independent.
That's a growing concern of an awful lot of people including
myself."
However, state legislators told the Bradenton Herald that
they don't think offshore drilling will solve that problem. ""I don't believe
that we'll ever drill our way to renewable energy," state Sen. Mike Bennett,
R-Bradenton, said. "Anything that we do in the Gulf of Mexico only delays the
inevitable."
In fact, a study released last week by the Lawrence Livermore
National Laboratory found that Americans used less energy last year, and more of
what they used came from renewable sources. "The nation used less coal and
petroleum during the same time frame," the report found, "and only slightly
increased its natural gas consumption."
--Craig Pittman