Ending Offshore Drilling Moratorium, Bush Chooses Politics Over Climate Action

President George W. Bush yesterday issued an executive order to lift
the ban on domestic offshore oil drilling.

“By
lifting the ban on drilling in our coastal waters, President Bush is using
executive authority in a way that would make
global warming worse and keep the U.S. addicted to oil for decades to come,”
said Larry Schweiger, President and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation.

“According to President Bush’s own U.S.
Department of Energy, the total additional oil that could be brought into
production from drilling in the Outer Continental Shelf, the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge, and the Rocky Mountain states combined is likely to be only about 1.2 million barrels of oil a day at peak
production. Even in the most optimistic case, drilling in those areas combined
would only mean 4-5 cents a gallon less by 2025,” Schweiger
said.

“America’s future is not in fossil fuels. Our future has to be about breaking our addiction to fossil fuels and building a clean energy future…Federal legislation that promotes clean,
alternative energy and reduces global warming pollution will reduce our oil
imports four times more than drilling in the Outer Continental Shelf, the Arctic
National Wildlife Refuge, and the Rocky Mountain states, combined.”

“Investing in a clean energy future is the only way to break our addiction to fossil fuels and
protect us from the catastrophic consequences of global warming.”