Other Answers (13)

• #1. Baccheus, though your numbers are flawed, consider than an average of 20 million gallons of oil seep NATURALLY into the gulf each year, which SUPPORTS mini ecosystems. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/200...
  
  #2. OIL COMPANIES DO NOT HOLD LEASES AND DO NOTHING WITH THEM. That is fiscally retarded, you don%26#039;t know how the industry works, and you need to do more research.
  
  #3. Drilling in Alaska and in the gulf, has only INCREASED fish and Caribou populations.
  
  #4. It doesn%26#039;t matter where each barrel of oil goes, it decreases the effects of any sanctions the mideast may enact, and it decreases our trade deficit.
  
  #5. Adjusting the water temperature????? WTF?????
  
  #6. Congress moratorium still in effect. Petroleum Engineer
• It is interesting to see who calls the president %26quot;dim witted%26quot;.
  It was only dim witted to not having lifted it earlier. It was dim witted to ban it in the first place. If you ever go ocean fishing, chances are you will go to one of the oil rigs because it is a fish haven. Your suggestion that it will destroy the habitat of fishes is incorrect. I suggest you go do a little research. When oil companies were going to dismantle their rigs, the outrage from fisherman was overwhelming and the companies generally agreed to make their rigs into permanent %26quot;reef%26quot; habitats.
• First off refer to %26quot;the Jet%26quot; above.
  
  I%26#039;ll also add, that anyone who has ever studied basic economics knows what happens if you increase supply. No matter how much you try to justify otherwise. (The price will go down, or not go up as much as it would otherwise have)
  
  Secondly even if the middle east reduced supply by the same amount as we increase output, then at least we are getting less from other countries and keeping more of our money in the U.S.!
  
  Third, why do you think that off-shore drilling will %26quot;destroy%26quot; the habitat in the area. Has it done that anywhere else? Check into it, you%26#039;ll find that it has no percivable effect on the ocean habitat.
• Well, I think offshore drilling has come a long way since the days of the Santa Barbara oil spill, so I think it could probably done with relatively little impact ecologically.
  
  Of course, it will almost certainly have little impact to domestic prices or supplies. It couldn%26#039;t come online for many years, our demand for oil keeps growing and our domestic supply is only a drop in the world oil bucket. US oil production peaked in 1970 and not even Alaska could bring us back up to those levels. Unfortunately I can%26#039;t find the link to the exact number, but the US government estimates it will mean something like 4 cents a gallon difference to the price of gas 20 years from now, big deal.
• to all who thinks drilling our oceans is smart they are stupid!
  to all who thinks that will drive prices down are stupid silly!!
  to all who thinks off shore drilling is clean and doesnt pollute our animals and fish in the oceans are just liars and crooks we need to stop the price gouging of oil not drill the sea
  
  the answer is to stop corruption and stop the price gouging of oil !!!!!!!!
• You are correct. Katrina caused at least 44 oil leaks causing more than 7 million gallons of oil to leak into the water. (Dr Jello is again not being truthful.) Drilling off Florida and California would cause the same type of risks -- and for what gain? Most of the oil drilled would be sold to China, India and other developing nations. The oil drilled in America does not stay in America, it goes to the highest bidder.
• With the many off shore platforms in the gulf of mexico and north sea, how many times do you hear of an oil spill or habitat harmed? Never.
  
  Even when a Cat 5 hurricane raged through the gulf, not one drop of oil was spilled.
  
  Your fears don%26#039;t match reality. Get over it. We need to start drilling now!
• Yes we should drill off-shore in selected places. However oil from US supplies if sold to foreign interests should be taxed heavily on the profits or it should be a criteria in their Leese that it cannot be sold to foreign interests.
  
  If we don%26#039;t drill others will that we buy from. It is just a matter of who gets the money and oil.
• According to the U.S. Coast Guard, there were no spills in the Gulf. The offshore rigs do a good job of shutting down when threatened by hurricanes.
  
  The spills that did occur were inland..... primarily oil/petroleum storage tanks.... the majority of which did not threaten wetlands.
  
  The clean-up effort occurred in a timely manner.