The most prolific marine ecosystem on earth is being systematically destroyed on orders of the U.S. Department of the Interior. Where the BP oil spill failed miserably, Obama’s Dept. of the Interior now triumphs.
First came the “moratorium” on Gulf drilling. “That’s kicking a man when he’s already down,” said former offshore oil worker (and current country music superstar) Trace Adkins last May in an interview with CNN. The Obama administration itself admits to 8-12,000 job losses in Louisiana from the moratorium. But Louisiana now has 25,000 more unemployed than before the moratorium, which continues de facto in the form of stonewalling and lollygagging on the issuance of new drilling permits. So, that “man” is still down and reeling from federal kicks.
Another kick came last September in the form of a federal “notice to lessees.” “As part of our sustained effort to improve the safety of energy production on the Outer Continental Shelf and strengthen environmental protections,” decreed U.S. Dept. of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar last September 15, “We are notifying offshore operators of their legal responsibility to decommission and dismantle their facilities when production is completed.”
Dismantling their production platforms could cost oil operators “$6 billion to $18 billion in lost future production,” according to a report by Mark Kaiser and Allan Pulsipher of the Louisiana State University Center for Energy Studies.
The federal government, however, is unmoved by such projections. Production? Costs? Profits?—come on! Where’s the federal “environmental expert” affected by such stuff?
So let’s try this: the most prolific and “diverse marine ecosystem” ever recorded by marine scientists was created by the “facilities” the U.S. Dept. of the Interior is hell-bent on dismantling (offshore oil platforms). Acting as artificial reefs over the past half century, the natural beauty, teeming fish life, coral colonies, and “bio-diversity,” created by these structures is amply documented in several studies commissioned by none other than the U.S. Dept. of the Interior.
One recent report by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Minerals (a division of the U.S. Dept. of the Interior) boasts that “fish densities are 20 to 50 times higher at oil and gas platforms than in nearby Gulf water, and each platform seasonally serves as critical habitat for 10 to 20 thousand fishes.”
In fact, “villainous” Big Oil produces marine life at rates that puts to shame “wondrous” Earth Goddess Gaia. “The fish Biomass around an offshore oil platform is ten times greater per unit area than for natural coral reefs,” found Dr. Charles Wilson of LSU’s Dept. of Oceanography and Coastal Science (emphasis added). ”Ten to thirty thousand adult fish live around an oil production platform in area half the size of a football field.” For proof click on this video.
An LSU study found that 75 per cent of all offshore fishing trips in Louisiana target these fish-teeming “reefs.” Recreational fishing and diving trips to these structures generate an estimated 5,560 full time jobs and $324 million annually for Louisiana. But Salazar’s decree now forces oil producers to plug 3,500 non-producing wells and dismantle about 650 platforms by 2020. These represent 800 acres of critical Marine habitat. 80 per cent of these oil production “facilities,” by the way, are owned by independent producers rather than “Big Oil” companies such as Exxon or BP.
Great investigative journalism, Mr. Fontova. Hope you can get some momentum in the MSM. Red Snapper and Gag Grouper rules are a joke. Can take you out for 4 hours in the Gulf and your arms will hurt from Reds and Gags tugging on your line every time it hits the water.
What is it now, 470 days to Election Day. Add 75 days and on January 20, 2013, the country will start undoing the Obama transformation. Between Election Day and Inauguration Day, Conservative Agencies appointees at EPA, the FCC, the NLRB as well as Justice and Interior need to be ready to replace the Radicals. Inauguration Day, the new President needs to have Executive Orders ready to issue suspending the 2008-2013 rules of these agencies, and grant each state an exemtion from ObamaCare. Bills need to be ready to go opening up closed areas in Alaska, the Gulf to drilling.
And so if you want to rid yourselves of Hussein Obama, then you better watch out for George Soros and his cronies taking over the secretarty of state office in each of the fifty states. You better know the history of the Florida elections to counter these weasals "speaking out" against alleged electoral crimes and then their 50 best friends in these secretary of state offices. Gear up.
This kind of thinking reminds me of work by Stephen Dubner & Steven Levitt (authors of Freakonomics), demonstrating that attempts to protect various people or animals through govt regulation actually accomplished the exact opposite of their intended goals. Obama, Salazar & their types will never learn… http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/20/magazine/20wwln…
Time to consider abolishing certain federal agencies: BLM, EPA, FDA, Fish & Wildlife, Department of Agriculture, Department of Education (what a joke!) and many, many others. This is not a far-fetched as it may seem. In the recent past, Republicans have proven themselves to be world-class wussies, but with the advent of the Tea Party one can detect burgeoning backbone here and there. Bring it on.
The most important thing would be forever banning the federal government from directly taxing the citizens of the states. Repeal the 16th Amendment and replace it with:
The federal government of the United States may raise revenue from no source whatsoever EXCEPT the governors of the States. Each State shall contribute its share of the federal budget in proportion to its representation in Congress. Each year Congress shall submit a budget proposal to the State's governors no later than 15 November. The governors shall have 60 days to approve said proposal, and it must be approved by more than 60% of the governors. If not approved within sixty days, the federal government's funding shall be provided by the States in the amount of 90% of the previous year's payment. Payment shall be made to the federal government no later than July 4th of each year.
Supreme G – I'd like to give this more thought, but right off the top your proposal is really intriguing. Don't think I've seen this before.
There is no need to jump from one extreme to another!!! Why should we dismantle oil rigs just cause one company didn't do a good job at safety and inspections. no need to screw over everyone else. Regulation of these practices is what is truly important. As for spearing and fishing in the gulf at the current moment, if I had the option I would not. The ecosystem is very fragile as it is with out people hunting extra fish. Commercial Fishing, forget about it. but even recreational spearfisherman and fisherman should lay off. And besides, there is no guarantee to how clean the water or how safe it is to eat the fish.
it's not from "one extreme to another" mother nature is very resilient.
there are no guarantees at all in life. except death and taxes.
Given that various types of socialism have been tried over and over again and continue to fail, I think we need to try true free market and not the heavily regulated monstrosity the government says is free market. I also challenge you to prove the article is "misinformed, misleading, and lacking in facts". First off, BP is an anomaly amongst the companies drilling in the gulf, you probably have noted that the other companies have managed to keep their operations clean. Secondly, you should take a dive under the currently inactive rigs out in the gulf; you just might find that what the government wants to tear down is teeming with fish and other critters. If the oil drilling derricks should be removed I would think that all the ships we've sunk to create artificial reefs should be removed.