Hurricanes blow into drilling debate

[DoYouEverWonder]

August 7, 2005

In the annals of foul weather, Tropical Storm Arlene ranks as little more than a big breeze. Arlene, the first named storm of 2005, swept across the northern Gulf Coast in June with top winds of about 60 mph, dropping a mere 4 inches of rain.

But Arlene left a destructive mark on the nation's second-oldest wildlife refuge, further fueling the ongoing debate over drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.

As Arlene loomed, crew members evacuated the offshore oil and gas rigs that dot the waters off Alabama, Louisiana and Texas. After the storm passed, the crew of one Amerada Hess-owned rig returned to their platform 60 miles south of New Orleans and discovered the rig had spilled more than 550 gallons of oil.

That is a small spill - the equivalent of 45 barrels - but because the crew wasn't there to stop it, the oil flowed into the Breton National Wildlife Refuge. Within a month, 700 birds died, nearly all of them endangered brown pelicans.

http://www.sptimes.com/2005/08/07/State/Hurricanes_blow_into_.shtml


Do we still need more reasons never to allow drilling off the coast of Florida?

[ClintonTyree]

1. Why do you hate America?

What are the lives of a few hundred stupid birds when there are Hummers and Lincoln Navigators to be filled? You must REALLY hate America! God PUT that oil there for us to find and use anyway we see fit.
Hey, if you want to make an omelet, you're gonna' have to break a few eggs.
In case this is necessary, :sarcasm:

[cornermouse]

2. You do know that they're planning on putting a lot more oil wells

off of our coasts, don't you? If I remember correctly, it was part of their energy bill.

[pitohui]

3. arlene little more than a stiff breeze? they are mad

arlene caused the widest number of power outages in new orleans area since hurricane betsy, many people feel weather service missed the gun and arlene did reach cat 1 hurricane force winds

sustained hurricane force winds, maybe not, but arlene was much more than a stiff breeze

spills caused by tropical weather are a serious issue, however, drilling in the gulf important source of jobs and resources

louisiana brown pelican hasn't been endangered or threatened for mucho years, it is common to abundant in its range

entire article is sloppy

asking people to give up resources and income, better have more than this

[DoYouEverWonder]

4. That's why we need to get behind developing

alternative energy sources and equipment. There would be plenty of good, high paying jobs if we decided to go after alternative energy in a serious way. Then we wouldn't need to send people out to high risk jobs on oil rigs for months at a time. Must be great for the family life?

[alarimer]

5. Jobs are NOT more important than the environment

Nearly every hurricane has caused a spill and damage to rigs. It isn't just pelicans, either. Damage to fisheries resources because of spills will impact jobs too.

[donsu]

6. rather selfish of you

to only care about oil jobs and oil resources.

it does matter a lot when oil pollutes.

dead pelicans matter.

ever heard of the canary in the mine?