WASHINGTON -- The environmental movement, only recently poised for major advances on global warming and other issues, has suddenly found itself on the defensive as high gasoline prices shift the political climate nationwide and trigger defections by longtime supporters.
Opposition to offshore drilling -- once ironclad in places like California and Florida -- has begun to soften. Gov. Charlie Crist of Florida on Tuesday eased his opposition to new energy exploration off the coast.
"Floridians are suffering, and when you're paying over $4 a gallon for gas, you have to wonder whether there might be additional resources that we might be able to utilize to bring that price down," said Crist
WASHINGTON -- The environmental movement, only recently poised for major advances on global warming and other issues, has suddenly found itself on the defensive as high gasoline prices shift the political climate nationwide and trigger defections by longtime supporters.
Opposition to offshore drilling -- once ironclad in places like California and Florida -- has begun to soften. Gov. Charlie Crist of Florida on Tuesday eased his opposition to new energy exploration off the coast.
"Floridians are suffering, and when you're paying over $4 a gallon for gas, you have to wonder whether there might be additional resources that we might be able to utilize to bring that price down," said Crist
Great! If they start drilling TODAY, we'll see that oil in, say...2012.
Now, if someone can put the squeeze on OUR refineries to increase
output...Of course, you know they're NOT running at 100%...They NEVER
ARE, but the papers don't tell you that. I mean, what would THAT do for profits?
WASHINGTON -- The environmental movement, only recently poised for major advances on global warming and other issues, has suddenly found itself on the defensive as high gasoline prices shift the political climate nationwide and trigger defections by longtime supporters.
Opposition to offshore drilling -- once ironclad in places like California and Florida -- has begun to soften. Gov. Charlie Crist of Florida on Tuesday eased his opposition to new energy exploration off the coast.
"Floridians are suffering, and when you're paying over $4 a gallon for gas, you have to wonder whether there might be additional resources that we might be able to utilize to bring that price down," said Crist
Great! If they start drilling TODAY, we'll see that oil in, say...2012.
Now, if someone can put the squeeze on OUR refineries to increase
output...Of course, you know they're NOT running at 100%...They NEVER
ARE, but the papers don't tell you that. I mean, what would THAT do for profits?
*climbs on soapbox* Drilling is just one of a big list of things we ought to do. I agree about the refineries. We also need to start minig our tons of coal and converting it. We should be building nuclear power plants all over the place (like they are in China). We should be building wind farms wherever there's a lot of wind. The list goes on and on.
It doesn't solve anything over night. But it puts us on the right track. And it boosts consumer confidence which has a really big impact on the economy.
