Coasts may open to oil probe

[BR_Parkway]

WASHINGTON -- Oil and gas companies, closer than ever to drilling in an Alaskan wildlife refuge, want to explore another frontier: America's coastlines.

The Atlantic and Pacific coasts and the eastern Gulf of Mexico are protected by a federal ban on new oil and natural gas extraction. But with rising worry about the country's dependence on fuel imports and soaring prices, energy producers feel they now have a unique opportunity -- and a more effective strategy -- to relax or eliminate the restrictions.

"Part of the solution has to be opening more access," whether it's off the coast of California or the Carolinas, said Duane Radtke, head of the natural gas production unit at Dominion Resources of Richmond, Va.

Environmentalists say the industry has been emboldened to seek offshore drilling because of last month's Senate vote to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. They also worry that the public may mistakenly take the 24-year-old offshore ban for granted, if they even know it exists.

http://www.newsobserver.com/business/nc/story/2302156p-8681232c.html

[doodadem]

1. Ahhh.....here's the REAL reason behind ANWAR

Because the oil companies have already stated that oil from ANWAR is not of high enough quality to sell anywhere but Asia. But now we see what the real agenda has been all along--attacking both U.S. coasts. They are figuring anywhere is fair game now.

[wakeme2008]

2. But Jeb, and mel promised Florida this would not happen

would they have lied to us...