Post by Ebony on Mar 8, 2006 20:14:33 GMT 1
Protected Coasts Now Threatened by Drilling
Both the first President Bush and President Clinton issued presidential directives that banned oil drilling in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, in Alaska's famous salmon-fishing grounds in Bristol Bay, off the coast of Virginia, and up and down the east and west coasts. Congress also has annually reaffirmed a moratorium on drilling off these protected coasts. But the current Bush administration wants a radical change to that policy.
In February, the federal Mineral Management Service released a new leasing plan that will open vast formerly protected areas to oil and gas drilling. But the proposal is open to public comment, though, and if citizens express enough outrage, the agency may withdraw its proposal.
