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CONSERVATION ARCHIVE
Please read and
circulate the following alert. Help us generate calls to OFFSHORE DRILLING..THE FIGHT CONTINUES!"It
Ain't Over Until The Leases Are Cancelled" • A single offshore
rig emits the same quantity of air pollution as 7000 cars driving 50 miles
per day. • A single exploratory
well dumps approximately 25,000 tons of toxic metals into the ocean.
• A single production
platform can have between 50-100 wells and can discharge 90,000 metric
tons of drilling fluids, wastes, and metal cuttings into the ocean. *The
Gulf of Mexico has a roughly 3000 square mile "Dead Zone" that is growing.
Offshore drilling pollution, by smothering benthic (shallow water)
communities, contributes to oxygen depletion and adds to the Dead Zone.
• Offshore drilling
releases "toxic brines" that are pockets of water that are trapped in the
geologic pockets where gas and oil occur. This toxic brine contains NORMS
(naturally occurring radioactive materials), cadmium, lead, benzene, etc.
The petroleum industry admits that up to 1.5 million barrels of toxic
brine are discharged into the Gulf every day. • In 1982 a 9.6
million gallon spill occurred from a storage tank of coastal Panama. This
caused massive damage to seagrass beds, corals, mangroves, and coastal
ecosystems much like those occurring Florida. Much of the damage from that
spill continued for years, and the lasting impacts are still seen today.
• Estimates vary, but
most agree that the total gas and oil reserves off the Florida coast
amount to about 2.5 months of U.S. energy needs. Increasing the average
fuel efficiency standard of U.S automobiles to 40 mpg would save TEN TIMES
that by the year 2020! By improving home insulation across the country we
could save FIVE TIMES that by the year 2020. • The Bush Energy Plan
is fundamentally flawed. It places extraction and fossil fuels ahead of
efficiency, renewables, alternatives, and clean technology. We can meet
our nation's energy needs and NOT have to expand drilling in the Eastern
Gulf of Mexico. — Jonathan Ullman Return to the top of page
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