Berger Stands Up For Offshore Drilling

Liberal commentators are trying to seize on a devastating accident in the Gulf of Mexico to continue their efforts to stop a new energy industry along with natural gas and oil exploration from coming to North Carolina. Not only are they exploiting a tragedy that ended in the loss of life for eleven workers for political gain, but they are also ignoring key facts about the science behind the event.

• The well that was being drilled by the Transocean semisub rig
  Deepwater Horizon is leaking about 42,000 gal of oil per
  day at current estimates.
• During the last 15 years in the Gulf of Mexico, in which there are
  almost 4,000 operating oil and gas platforms, there was not a single
  oil spill greater than 42,000 gallons.
• Natural seeps in the Gulf of Mexico account for 46 million gallons
  per year or about 126,000 gallons per day.
• Offshore production discharges account for only 2% of global inputs
  of oil pollution into the marine environment. Natural marine seeps
  account for almost half.
• During Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the emergency shut-in valves on
  Gulf of Mexico platforms functioned 100% of the time.

Despite these facts, Democratic leaders like Governor Bev Perdue and Senate President Pro Tem Marc Basnight continue to drag their feet on bringing new jobs and a new industry to North Carolina while liberal special interest groups make it clear they will never support offshore drilling under any circumstances.

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