OIL/ENERGY POLICY
Bill would require rescue boats within three nautical miles of active offshore oil, gas rigs
We Found Oil! Is That Good?
"Companies can now extract oil and natural gas from the high Arctic, shale, oil sands and deepwater wells. These fossil fuels are still finite and dwindling, but tapping the new sources pushes back the date of "peak oil." Does that give the United States necessary time to develop sustainable energy sources, or will it keep Americans needlessly addicted to dirty fuels by keeping them cheap -- and eroding the "energy security" argument?"
THE GULF
Gulf spill still affecting environment, industries
"The local environment and industries like tourism and seafood are still recovering from last year's BP oil spill, which released as much as 4.8 million barrels of oil after the Deepwater Horizon platform exploded, killing 11 men and creating a months-long gusher of oil from the bottom of the Gulf."
Oil Spills Are Forever: BP Gets Slap on the Wrist for Oil Disaster (Part Two)
"The main voice opposing the "slap-on-the-wrist" measures against BP is US Rep. Edward Markey, who calls for stronger penalties. Under law, fines are capped at $35,000 a day, per incident for the violations, which Markey estimates to be just seven hours worth of BP's profits. "That fine obviously does not even begin to approach the amount needed to be a deterrent against a repeat of this tragedy. That fine is a slap on the wrist," Markey said."
