AAA Today

[#1]

Don't hold your breath if you're waiting for logic to enter the debate about drilling off Florida's shores for oil. Tune in to the evening news or read any U.S. newspaper and there are only two sides to this debate.

Earlier this year, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel quoted a Republican congressman who said a Florida offshore drilling plan would "help the country achieve energy independence and potentially produce an economic boon for Florida."

A Democratic congressman quoted in the same story said, "We are exposing our priceless beaches to huge, unfathomable dangers."

Often missing from this rhetoric are hard, verifiable facts. Some groups estimate that there are 3 billion barrels of oil reserves to be found off Florida's Gulf Coast. Some say it's closer to 12 billion. And at the same time, environmentalists say that if we have an oil spill like the one in Australia (Aug. 21), it would destroy Florida's $6.5 billion coastal economy.

Other numbers should be considered, too. (Now you can say the federal government is making this stuff up, but that's a conspiracy theory for another day.) The U.S. Department of Energy says that as of 2007 (the most recent year available), 66.19 percent of oil consumed in the U.S. is imported from both OPEC and non-OPEC member countries. That means the U.S. is extracting and producing at home only one-third of the oil it needs to make the economy run and get the kids to school.

In the meantime, Russia plans to begin offshore oil exploration in Cuba's economic zone in the Gulf of Mexico. Investors Business Daily reports that in Moscow and Havana, the cry is "Drill, Comrade, Drill!"

[#2]

If it can be done responsibly with precautions in place to prevent spills.. Why not? On the other hand we should be putting our efforts into moving towards more eco-friendly fuels. It's a good way to use up all that GMO corn that we shouldn't be eating!