Offshore drilling (debate- my stance is against the offshore drilling) Essay

Offshore drilling (debate- my stance is against the offshore drilling) - Essay Example This is a knee-jerk response to our continuing energy crisis which has significant environmental concerns. Controversy surrounding offshore drilling is nothing new. According to Kamalick (2008), the controversy started as early as 1937 with the states asserting their jurisdiction over sea beds. In 1945, President Truman asserted Federal jurisdiction, and over the next several years, the Supreme Court affirmed this by specifically saying the Federal government had paramount rights over the continental shelf and the resources under the soil (and under the water), including oil. A 1953 compromise, the OCS Land Act, allowed states limited involvement and issued a mandate for the Federal government to explore and develop oil and gas deposits under the outer continental shelf. The 1969 oil spill in the Santa Barbara Channel changed all that, and environmental lobbyists entered the argument in full force. In 1978, the OCS Lands Act was amended to allow states more control over resources, and environmentally-sensitive language was added. Lease sales began to pick up speed, and the Reagan administration made more than 1 billion acres of the OCS available for lease. Environmentalists made headway with George H.W. Bush, and â€Å"federal supremacy has been steadily eroded . . . by environmental interests† (Kamalick 2008). More recently, a 2008 Gallup Poll found that 57 percent of respondents favored offshore oil drilling, and 41 percent were opposed. A Zogby poll showed that 74 percent of voters favored U.S. coastal water drilling and 59 percent supported Alaska National Wildlife Refuge drilling (Baird 2008, 13). Politicians have been seriously considering a Department of the Interior recommendation to expand coastal exploration, while giving a nod to environmental concerns and assuring taxpayers there are no subsidies to big oil (Baird 2008). The American people, instead of