Drilling for Oil off the Coast?

On a recent trip to Alabama, we were able to see the oil stained beach at Gulf Shores, which is normally a beautiful beach. We were there on a particularly hot day as workers withstood the extreme heat while methodically working toward cleaning the sand. To see this creates instant sadness. It is certainly an opportunity for environmentalists and those opposed to offshore drilling to sieze the moment and plead their case for discontinuing the process of obtaining oil from under the sea. On the other hand, American energy has been constructed around oil, and the need for this resource is great.

In the midst of this oil leak tragedy is the need for expertise and capable leadership. The problem goes unsolved while huge amounts of crude enters the ocean each day. Neither BP nor Federal leaders have performed well in dealing with the problem. Passing blame and finger pointing continues, but to date, the act of blaming others, speech deliveries, Congressional hearings, nor political maneuvering have led to a successful solution.

When the tragedy occurred, the first thing that our President should have done was to contact the CEO of BP to set a cooperative tone and offer appropriate federal assistance. Instead, no communications took place between the two for a long period of time, and an adversarial atmosphere was established. Working together in a mutual effort to solve the problem would have been much more desirable.

Whether or not to continue off shore drilling will continue to be a significant issue. NC State Grange policy does not oppose off shore drilling, but does state the following: "....move cautiously in allowing oil and natural gas exploration off North Carolina's coast." It will be interesting to see if any new resolutions come forward regarding this issue for consideration at our State Grange Convention in September.