Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger recently rescinded support for
drilling off the coast of Southern California that would have
raised more than $1.8 billion for the state park system over the
next 14 years. Do you agree with that move?
THIS WEEK’S QUESTION:
“Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger recently rescinded support for drilling off the coast of Southern California that would have raised more than $1.8 billion for the state park system over the next 14 years. Do you agree with that move?” Yes: 8 No: 3
? Karen Anderson: “Yes. I would rather be taxed on my vehicle.”
? Dave Appling: “Yes, at least until new rigs include fail-safe acoustic switching and otherwise become virtually immune to catastrophic failure. That looks to be a long time coming. For now, this is not a responsible way to fund our state parks.”
? Bert Berson: “Yes. Which says all that needs to be said.”
? Chris Bryant: “No, I’m sure this was yet another knee-jerk reaction to the oil spill in the Gulf. We just need to implement the requirements that other countries have in place to prevent spills such as the current one in the Gulf.”
? David Cohen: “Yes, as a temporary measure until we know the impact of what’s happening in the Gulf. However, I think offshore drilling here in California is going to happen regardless of the impact of what’s happening off Louisiana.”
? Julian Mancias: “Yes. Two weeks ago I might have said no. Things have definitely changed since then.”
? Linda McNulty: “Yes. In light of BP’s recent spill in the Gulf, better precautionary measures need to be taken.”
? Henry Miller: “No. The decision may be politically helpful but we are an energy-based society and need all of the resources we can develop. Thousands of offshore wells are safely producing oil daily. Should we stop building aircraft when we have an airline accident?”
? Lisa Pampuch: “Yes, unless and until better emergency and safety measures are required and implemented, offshore drilling doesn’t pass cost-benefit analysis muster. But we have to remember that no energy panacea exists and every energy source requires tradeoffs.”
? Emily Shem-Tov: “Yes, while it would be great to restore the state park funding, the recent spill is a terrible reminder that the risks involved in drilling offshore may still outweigh the benefits.”
? Jeff Smith: “No, I disagree with him. We can’t give up each time there is a crisis, but rather we need to learn from it so we can avoid similar problems in the future. Our need for oil is not going away anytime soon. We need to stop pretending that wind and solar can meet our energy needs, and significantly increase our domestic drilling.”
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