McCain Wants to Drill Off Shore
While enjoying the beach on Saturday in Ocean City, I noticed a flying political jab, mixed in with all the usual airplane banner ads for beer and nightclubs. It said:
John McCain wants to drill here. Do you?
The presidential race has added a new twist, using an airplane banner to draw the attention not only of New Jersey shore year-round residents, but of Delaware Valley vacationers who want their pristine beaches to remain pristine.
So, I asked myself, does the “environmental” Republican really want to drill off the New Jersey coast? It turns out, he does. Go here for the YouTube proof. McCain wants to end a federal moratorium on offshore drilling. He favors letting each state decide whether to allow offshore exploration for oil and gas and share royalties with the federal government if any is found.
Senators Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez (both D-N.J.) and Rep. Frank Pallone (D-6th Dist.) have denounced the plan, and Gov. Jon Corzine said during an appearance on CNBC, "I don't think you're going to find a governor or the citizenry believing that we ought to move to offshore drilling. There are huge economic losses at risk."
Even Lautenberg's Republican opponent, former congressman Dick Zimmer, said, "Regardless of where the drilling takes place, I'll oppose it if it poses a risk to the Jersey shore."
Our South Jersey representative, Republican Frank LoBiondo, says, "With more than 68 million acres nationwide already leased though unexplored for oil and natural gas, we should be focusing on those areas before drilling in sensitive locations such as off the Jersey Shore."
As someone who grew up on the Jersey shore, the thought of off shore drilling feels me with dread. However, other New Jerseyans say gasoline prices is the economic issue that worries them the most, and by a 64 percent to 34 percent margin, state voters support offshore oil drilling, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll. New Jersey voters also support new nuclear power plants (61-32 percent) and drilling in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuse (53-41 percent).
“New Jersey voters may like their beaches, but they also like being able to fill the tank and drive to the beaches,” said Clary Richards, the Associate Director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. “If Obama is going to continue his opposition to offshore drilling, he’ll have to convince voters it won’t help bring down the price of gas.”