Why worry about drilling?

Someone questioned why we should worry about offshore drilling by some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Maybe I should not worry about Big Sur, Myrtle Beach, Hilton Head, Coney Island, Miami's beach, Daytona Beach, or Cape Cod. Now I know that offshore drilling must use some marvelous technology to try to prevent catastrophes, but are we protected against terrorism, human error, erosion and wearing out of equipment and caps later put on underwater wells, earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, ship wrecks? We've been somewhat lucky so far, but the more wells the more likely there could be more catastrophes. The hurricane Ike was only a level 2 or 3 hurricane, what if a category 4 or 5 directly hits these wells? The Exxon Valdez was in 1989 and there still is enviromental damage and millions of gallons of oil in the beaches there.
Offshore drilling could indeed include the Great Lakes. These are the sources of drinking water for many millions of people along there shores. Sport fishing is an important industry for many communities on the shores. A major spill there could have long term effects on the health and beauty and wildlife in the area. A large part of the damage would come from heavy oil that would sink to bottom and put off dangerous chemicals for possibly centuries.
Why risk these dangers for such a relatively small amount of oil? Oil produced there would be still sold at world prices and so would not save the consumer much. It would help some on our balence of world trade payments.
Experts say it will take 10-20 years before these wells will produce. It appears very likely that wind, solar, tides and waves, geothermal, small hydroelectical, lightning, and other clean sources will produce electicity cleanly in sufficient measure to make the demand for oil to decrease substatially. Fission may also be online. Why put at risk some of our most enviromentally sensitive and beautiful areas and endanger the health of those living near? Let us not panic but look at the long term.

drill baby drill

At the Republican convention, a large and enthusiastic cry went up "drill, baby, drill!" There has been before a bipartisan call to restrict oil drilling off some of the most beautiful beaches in the world on our east and west coasts but now "drill, baby, drill." There has been bipartisan and international agreements to prevent drilling in the Great Lakes, the largest freshwater source in the world, but are we to start off shore drilling there too? There have been bipartisan efforts to preserve environmentally sensitive areas in the Rockies and in Alaska, but are these all to be thrown out by the Republicans?
Experts agree that these areas contain very little oil compared to the world supplies and the growing world demand. In our rush to satisfy our oil needs, our energy self-sufficiency, how much are we willing to risk or give up? The Republicans are screaming "Drill, baby, drill!"