Offshore Drilling Lawsuits

The Chamber of Commerce has a new blogger, and his first post is about how How Environmental group's lawsuits will raise the price of energy.

Let me start by acknowledging his point - the lawsuits will make it more difficult to drill in the Gulf of Mexico. And, he's  right in saying that, too often, groups like the Sierra Club, the Gulf Restoration Network, and the Florida Wildlife Federation are interested in delaying and raising the price of drilling projects. I would question his assertion that these actions will raise energy costs, but that is for another post.

However, I would think his post should include some sort of an acknowledgement that the environmental groups might have a point. I'm not sure if he missed the story - it was only on the cover of every newspaper for 6 months - BP's drilling in exactly this area cost over $20 billion in clean-up costs, untold damage to the Gulf's ecosystems, and - in case we forget - 11 lives. It seems like some acknowledgement that America's energy policy should take environmental sustainability as well as economic issues into account is in order.

He seems to be saying that creating jobs now is more important than any environmental damage down the road. That is a dramatic assertion, if that is what the Chamber thinks. We cannot have a debate when both sides talk past each other - the Chamber should engage the enviros on their turf, and they should engage back by asserting how the long-term costs are higher than any short-term gain. We need a debate on energy in this country that acknowledges all sides.