Oil, Wind & Water

What's the future of offshore energy development in the United States? Two visions are on view this week, in stark contrast.

In the Gulf of Mexico, oil is gushing at a rate of up to 5,000 barrels a day from an undersea well following an explosion and fire on a drilling platform. The oil is now washing ashoreon the Louisiana coast, threatening wildlife refuges, commercial fisheries and popular beaches -- including nesting beaches for the Kemp's ridley: the world's most endangered sea turtle.

The Coast Guard is considering setting the slick on fire to burn off some of the oil. And with no prospect of containment, the damage could spread to Florida and other Gulf Coast states.

BP, which owns the well, faces billions of dollars in losses -- and a significant blow to its "Beyond Petroleum" image as an emerging green energy company. Politicians are quickly rethinking support for expanded offshore oil development in U.S. waters.

Fifteen hundred miles away, the story was much different. In Massachusetts, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar gave the federal green light to the nation's largest offshore wind energy farm. The controversial project off Cape Cod could eventually generate enough electricity to power 200,000 homes and businesses in Massachusetts -- and spark similar clean-energy developments around the country (and the green jobs that come with them).

With global climate change already threatening ocean wildlife, and carbon pollution from fossil fuels a major cause, the choice seems clear.

Comments

[Ken Peterson]

With equal respect, there's an overwhelming consensus among thousands of scientists from around the world – a consensus built through decades of peer-reviewed research - that carbon pollution from human activities is changing the global climate.

The warming of the oceans is measurable; the changes in ocean chemistry have been measured and documented; sea levels are rising year by year. All of these measurable, documented effects have been linked directly to greenhouse gases generated by human activities, notably burning of fossil fuels.

As a science-based conservation organization, we're open to hearing about other rigorous, peer-reviewed science on the issue.

Here are a few relevant links to climate science. The first comes from what might be considered an unexpected source:

ClimateConservative.org: http://www.climateconservative.org/

U.S. Global Change Research: http://www.globalchange.gov/whats-new/286-new-assessment-climate-impacts-us

RealClimate.org: http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2007/05/start-here/

[Cheryl M.]

With all due respect, there is no global warming due to manmade reasons. It's the sun! Carbon dioxide is a necessity of life corrupt governments want to tax humans on. Your organization is irresponsible to be pushing manmade global warming. One oil spill is worse than your so called manmade global warming, yet you guys aren't really on top of it warning people what it REALLY means, are you?

[Plomomedia]

Schwarzenegger pulled support for drilling off the coast of California. If only all Republicans had the sense he does!