At a news conference today, Department of Interior Secretary
Ken Salazar announced that the department would extend the public comment
period on the draft five year plan for oil and gas development that the Bush
administration put in place in its last days in office. Environment Ohio Program Director, Amy
Gomberg issued the following statement in response:
“We applaud the Interior Department for taking a fresh look
a President Bush’s ‘drill everywhere’ policies.
First, last week, Secretary Salazar prudently restored protection for
130,000 acres of pristine lands near Nine Mile Canyon, Arches National Park and
Dinosaur National Monument in Utah that had been leased for drilling by the
previous administration. Today, we are
pleased to see that Secretary Salazar is slowing the Bush administration’s plan
to barrel ahead with oil drilling off our coast. The fact is: More efficient
vehicles, mass transit, and clean energy will cut pollution and reduce
dependence on oil far more effectively than more oil drilling will.
“Secretary Salazar and President Obama understand that we
must break our addiction to oil by increasing efficiency and shifting to clean
alternatives and, from the first days of this administration, have pursued
exactly those policies. Two weeks ago, the president announced plans to raise
the fuel economy of our cars. His
economic recovery plan creates jobs by improving mass transit, which produces
one-third of the pollution of automobile travel while creating 19 percent more
jobs per dollar than spending on new highways.
These cheaper, cleaner and faster policies reduce short-term oil demand
and costs while also providing long-term solutions to our energy needs. President Obama’s clean energy solutions do
not require us to put our favorite beaches at risk.
“Even the Energy Information Agency under President Bush
acknowledged that drilling for every last drop of recoverable oil off our
coasts would have little to no effect on gas prices. Environment America is confident that, with
careful consideration, the Obama administration will conclude that drilling
offshore is not worth the risk. We urge
president Obama to permanently protect our treasured seashores and marine
resources by reinstating the off-shore oil drilling moratorium.”
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Environment Ohio is a statewide, citizen-based environmental
advocacy organization working for clean air, clean water and open space.
www.environmentamerica.org
