Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/opinion/s_648001.html#
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Having bought the unsubstantiated arguments of global-warming alarmists, the Obama administration is all too likely to be swayed by politicized science regarding offshore oil and gas drilling.
Ocean scientists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration want the Interior Department to ban offshore drilling in the Arctic and much of the Atlantic coast and Gulf of Mexico.
Though informal and nonbinding, NOAA's recommendations are sharply critical of a Bush-era offshore leasing plan that Interior Secretary Ken Salazar is considering altering.
So where does science end and politics begin?
NOAA's concerns are drilling's effects on marine life, plus potential damage from and ability to clean up spills. But how deeply are those concerns genuinely rooted in hard, objective science, not science bent to support a political agenda? And who can be trusted to make that distinction?
Climate scientists' willingness to twist data to fit preordained conclusions -- and this administration's willingness to take such "experts" at their word -- should put Interior, and Congress, on guard about NOAA's recommendations.
The proper balance between energy and environment won't be struck with extremists' thumbs weighting the scales against authentic science.
Oil and Gas Journal- Health, Safety, and Environment Blog
http://www.ogj.com/index/blogs/health-safety-environment/blogs/OGJ/health-safety-environment-blog/post987_7763845903233962976.html
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration questions a plan to expand offshore oil and gas drilling, according to documents posted online by the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER).
NOAA recommends safeguards for fisheries, marine mammals, and coastal populations that would significantly reduce the number and size of offshore tracts offered for exploration and development leasing.
NOAA filed its 26-page comment on Sept. 21, which was the US Minerals Management Service’s deadline for the Draft Proposed Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program for 2010-2015.
The 5-year leasing plan, issued in January, reflects the ideas of the former President George Bush administration. The plan would offer 12 lease areas (4 in Alaska, 3 in the Atlantic, 2 in the Pacific and 3 in the Gulf of Mexico) covering much of the OCS. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar is considering the plan.
In its comments, NOAA outlined its positions, including:
--Exclusionary zones that would block lease sales in the Northern Aleutians (including Bristol Bay), near shore in the Chukchi Sea, as well as all the proposed Atlantic and Eastern Gulf tracts.
--Buffer zones that would bar drilling “around national marine sanctuaries, habitat areas of particular concern, critical habitat for endangered and threatened species, major fishing grounds, and to provide visual buffers to coastal areas dependent upon tourism.”
--A moratorium on any Arctic Ocean drilling until better oil spill prevention and response capability is in place. NOAA also contends that MMS understates the expected frequency of and risk from spills, especially after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
PEER calls itself a service organization assisting federal and state public employees. “PEER allows public servants to work as ‘anonymous activists’ so that agencies must confront the message, rather than the messenger,” its website said.
Labels: Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility , Minerals Management Service , US Interior Department , offshore drilling , NOAA
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Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/opinion/s_648001.html#
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Having bought the unsubstantiated arguments of global-warming alarmists, the Obama administration is all too likely to be swayed by politicized science regarding offshore oil and gas drilling.
Ocean scientists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration want the Interior Department to ban offshore drilling in the Arctic and much of the Atlantic coast and Gulf of Mexico.
Though informal and nonbinding, NOAA's recommendations are sharply critical of a Bush-era offshore leasing plan that Interior Secretary Ken Salazar is considering altering.
So where does science end and politics begin?
NOAA's concerns are drilling's effects on marine life, plus potential damage from and ability to clean up spills. But how deeply are those concerns genuinely rooted in hard, objective science, not science bent to support a political agenda? And who can be trusted to make that distinction?
Climate scientists' willingness to twist data to fit preordained conclusions -- and this administration's willingness to take such "experts" at their word -- should put Interior, and Congress, on guard about NOAA's recommendations.
The proper balance between energy and environment won't be struck with extremists' thumbs weighting the scales against authentic science.
Oil and Gas Journal- Health, Safety, and Environment Blog
http://www.ogj.com/index/blogs/health-safety-environment/blogs/OGJ/health-safety-environment-blog/post987_7763845903233962976.html
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration questions a plan to expand offshore oil and gas drilling, according to documents posted online by the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER).
NOAA recommends safeguards for fisheries, marine mammals, and coastal populations that would significantly reduce the number and size of offshore tracts offered for exploration and development leasing.
NOAA filed its 26-page comment on Sept. 21, which was the US Minerals Management Service’s deadline for the Draft Proposed Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program for 2010-2015.
The 5-year leasing plan, issued in January, reflects the ideas of the former President George Bush administration. The plan would offer 12 lease areas (4 in Alaska, 3 in the Atlantic, 2 in the Pacific and 3 in the Gulf of Mexico) covering much of the OCS. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar is considering the plan.
In its comments, NOAA outlined its positions, including:
--Exclusionary zones that would block lease sales in the Northern Aleutians (including Bristol Bay), near shore in the Chukchi Sea, as well as all the proposed Atlantic and Eastern Gulf tracts.
--Buffer zones that would bar drilling “around national marine sanctuaries, habitat areas of particular concern, critical habitat for endangered and threatened species, major fishing grounds, and to provide visual buffers to coastal areas dependent upon tourism.”
--A moratorium on any Arctic Ocean drilling until better oil spill prevention and response capability is in place. NOAA also contends that MMS understates the expected frequency of and risk from spills, especially after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
PEER calls itself a service organization assisting federal and state public employees. “PEER allows public servants to work as ‘anonymous activists’ so that agencies must confront the message, rather than the messenger,” its website said.
Labels: Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility , Minerals Management Service , US Interior Department , offshore drilling , NOAA
Are you absolutely sure you want to delete this article? This process cannot be undone and is permanent.
Yes, Delete This Article
Are you absolutely sure you want to remove this article? This process cannot be undone and is permanent.
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