Friday
May212010
U.S. Should Continue Drilling Despite Recent Spill, Says Senate Republican
Friday, May 21, 2010 at 3:33PM
By Alexa Gitler
Talk Radio News Service
Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said Friday that she hoped the nationwide anger and frustration caused by the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico last month would not have any negative impact on efforts to drill off her state's coast.
Speaking at a luncheon held by the National Press Club in Downtown, Washington, D.C., Murkowski's message was clear: Congress should not use the Gulf spill as a mechanism for obstructing any future plans to drill offshore.
“We are going to need oil for decades to come, and [the] technology is advancing because oil and natural gas are still the most economically viable energy sources in the world," she said.
If anything, Murkowski suggested that Congress ratify the Law of the Sea Treaty (LOST), a UN agreement that was signed in 1982, and has since been ratified by 160 nations -- including the European Union (EU). The document requires nations to adopt regulations to control pollution of the marine environment, and invest heavily in technology that makes drilling safer.
“The spill in the gulf has shown us that there are certainly risks, and there will always be risks and impacts associated with producing energy but we must take every appropriate step to minimize the risks in the future,” Murkowski said.
Though she spoke at length, Murkowski did not address a bill introduced last week by New Jersey Senators Bob Menendez (D) and Frank Lautenberg (D), which proposes raising the damage liability cap on oil companies from the current $75 million, to $10 billion. Murkowski was one of two Senators to object to moving the bill to the floor.
Talk Radio News Service
Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said Friday that she hoped the nationwide anger and frustration caused by the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico last month would not have any negative impact on efforts to drill off her state's coast.
Speaking at a luncheon held by the National Press Club in Downtown, Washington, D.C., Murkowski's message was clear: Congress should not use the Gulf spill as a mechanism for obstructing any future plans to drill offshore.
“We are going to need oil for decades to come, and [the] technology is advancing because oil and natural gas are still the most economically viable energy sources in the world," she said.
If anything, Murkowski suggested that Congress ratify the Law of the Sea Treaty (LOST), a UN agreement that was signed in 1982, and has since been ratified by 160 nations -- including the European Union (EU). The document requires nations to adopt regulations to control pollution of the marine environment, and invest heavily in technology that makes drilling safer.
“The spill in the gulf has shown us that there are certainly risks, and there will always be risks and impacts associated with producing energy but we must take every appropriate step to minimize the risks in the future,” Murkowski said.
Though she spoke at length, Murkowski did not address a bill introduced last week by New Jersey Senators Bob Menendez (D) and Frank Lautenberg (D), which proposes raising the damage liability cap on oil companies from the current $75 million, to $10 billion. Murkowski was one of two Senators to object to moving the bill to the floor.
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