It is nearly impossible to find a silver lining in $4-a-gallon gasoline. But if one is to be found, it is in the fact that skyrocketing prices at the pump â€" and the resulting anger and discontent felt by Americans from sea to shining sea â€" are forcing our politicians to finally have a much needed debate on what should be done to solve the nation's dependency on foreign oil.
Regrettably, the contours of this debate have been shaped by unabashed duplicity and a complete disregard for reality. Instead of being honest with the American people about the need to develop alternative energy and to curb consumption of fossil fuels, the Bush administration, Sen. John McCain, Gov. Charlie Crist and a legion of right-wing radio talkers have propagated the myth â€" made out of equal parts deception and delusion â€" that we can simply drill our way out of dependence on foreign despots for our energy needs.
In recent weeks, both McCain and Crist have flip-flopped on the issue of repealing Congress' moratorium on offshore drilling, contending that advanced technology has made drilling environmentally safe and that the exponentially increasing price of energy has made it economically essential. In actuality, however, the calls to expose Florida's coasts to the vagaries of Big Oil, while perhaps politically expedient, are environmentally and economically suicidal.
Floridians should roundly reject the hollow rationale for drilling off the Sunshine State's coastline, if not for the prospect of serious environmental harm, then for the tremendous threat that such action poses to our tourist economy, which brings in some $50 billion to our state annually. One needs to look no further than historical precedent to determine how detrimental and catastrophic an oil spill could be to Florida's tourism industry: In 1979, an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico caused tar balls to wash up on Texas beaches. The result was a 60 percent decline in the state's tourism.
Even a relatively minor spill could cause enormous and irreparable damage to Florida's overall economic health.
But Florida need not face an environmental disaster on par with the Exxon Valdez spill of 1989 to feel the deleterious effects of offshore drilling. Toxic chemicals such as mercury, lead, benzene, barium, chromium and arsenic, just to name a few, are routinely emitted from "technologically advanced" oil platforms. And while large oil spills may be unlikely, smaller ones are quite frequent and almost as damaging â€" the U.S. Coast Guard estimates that more than 200,000 small spills occurred in the Gulf of Mexico from 1973 to 2001.
Even if new drilling rigs can drastically reduce the chance of spillage and allay environmental concerns â€" the evidence suggests this is dubious â€" the economic benefit of drilling would not be felt for at least seven years, with some estimates placing the economic impact of exploration around 2030. And what's more, Big Oil has not drilled three-quarters of the territory that Congress has made available for exploration. Why should we endanger our beautiful, economically lucrative beaches if the oil industry refuses to explore the areas already open for drilling?
Offshore drilling proponents claim that the price of oil has nothing to do with price gouging, speculation or unrest in the Middle East. It is simply a supply-and-demand problem that is easily curable if we would just invest in domestic exploration. Once again, those little things called the facts get in the way of a pro-drilling talking point. According to the House Natural Resources Committee, domestic drilling permits have increased 361 percent since 1999, yet the price of gas continues to climb to record-breaking plateaus.
Florida's beaches are a national treasure, and their preservation should be a top priority for all Floridians. Our elected state and federal officials should fight to prevent unnecessary and risky exploration in the name of political gamesmanship.
