Offshore drilling and pristine beaches: No reason you can’t have both
Anyone unsure about how much oil drilling technology has improved in recent years need look no further than Santa Barbara, Calif.*
Environmental and oil interests in Santa Barbara aren’t always aligned, and yet day to day, they coexist extremely well. That is to say, that on just about any given day in Santa Barbara, you’ll find surfers riding waves, families playing in the sand, sunbathers basking in a climate so perfect it’s commonly called American Riviera … and off in the horizon, a series of oil platforms.
For first time visitors, these rigs are something of a curiosity, but soon enough they become part of the scenery. Far from the beach, there may be heated debates over whether those rigs should be there at all, but on the beach, no one seems bothered.
It’s important to keep Santa Barbara in mind now as many states around the country, including some popular tourist destinations like Florida, consider new offshore drilling projects as a way to breathe life into their economies.
Earlier this month, the Senate Energy and Natural Resource Committee approved expanded oil and gas drilling in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, a region near the coast of Florida which lawmakers had previously deemed an oil-free zone. It was a breakthrough in efforts to adopt a more reasonable offshore drilling policy that would protect the environment and the tourism industry, while stimulating the economy. And while certain groups are, as expected, strongly opposed to any loosening of restrictions in the eastern Gulf, Florida’s tourism industry was not one of them.
Florida’s beaches are a main destination for tourists from around the country and the world, so it’s reasonable to assume the state’s tourism sector would come down on the anti-drilling side, if for no other reason than a desire not to preserve the status quo.
Last year, however, the tourism industry in Florida realized that preventing change in its own backyard would not prevent change from coming.
That change careened into Florida last summer in the form of crippling oil prices that put the brakes on a lot of tourism. Suddenly, a few oil platforms on the horizon didn’t seem like the worst thing that could happen. Not even close, actually.
In a landmark meeting, the state’s tourism executives hosted a summit to consider whether beaches and oil rigs could successfully coexist and the state’s advertising tourism arm, Visit Florida, reversed a longstanding opposition to offshore drilling. Governor Charlie Crist noted that while Florida was obliged to protect its beautiful beaches, it also had to support policies that would enable people to travel to the state.
One year later, the debate is still raging. But the fact that there’s a debate at all — in a state whose beaches attract millions of tourists — is progress.
The oil industry, of course, understands that tourism on the coast and industry offshore can work well together, particularly given its steadily increased focus on cleaner drilling technologies. After years of trying to get the word out about these improvements, people are starting to listen.
*In 1969, there was a devastating spill off the coast of Santa Barbara, and while the oil that washed up on shore is long gone, the memories and the fears still linger. It’s hard to make a strong argument for the merits of offshore drilling without acknowledging that accident. That spill forty years ago set in motion a wave of environmental activism, as well as a drive within the oil industry to develop better, safer drilling practices and operate with heightened sensitivity to its surroundings.
