Off-shore drilling will jeopardize N.J. beaches

Recently, the Congressional House Resources Com-mittee gave a substantial victory to proponents of opening ocean waters off the Outer Conti-nental Shelf (OCS), including areas off the Jersey Shore, to oil and gas exploration. The measure would lift a 25-year bipartisan moratorium in drilling in these environmentally sensitive areas.

The Sierra Club is the oldest and largest "grassroots" environmental organization in America. We have consistently opposed lifting the moratorium. We believe the moratorium is particularly important to protect New Jersey's beaches and our tourist industry.

Meanwhile, drilling proponents perpetuate the myth that significant quantities of offshore oil and gas resources are foolishly "off limits" and that OCS drilling would greatly add to America's energy independence.

In reality, the moratorium is only a limited one. The oil and gas industry already has access to the vast majority of the proven oil and gas resources off America's coasts. The United States Department of the Interior estimates that at current levels of consumption, lifting the OCS ban would satisfy the nation's oil needs for only about 16 years and its natural gas needs for about 25 years.

Apart from its obvious failure to significantly add to domestic energy supplies, two critical issues are raised by this misguided proposal: The first is the potential threat to New Jersey's beaches. The second is the broader issue of whether "big oil and gas" has exploited the government's byzantine off-shore "royalty" payment system to achieve record corporate profits at taxpayer expense. Jersey Shore residents should know the facts on both:

First, OCS drilling proponents present their bill as a "compromise" since theoretically each state would have the opportunity to "opt-out" of drilling off their respective coasts.

Thankfully, New Jersey's elected officials are largely united against OCS drilling. However, the bill places significant legal hurdles to "opting out." More importantly, it ignores the insurmountable problem of oil spills in "opt-in" states polluting New Jersey's beaches. An oil slick does not respect states' geographic coastal boundaries in its migration or honor politicians' ugly "compromises" in its own dirty ebb and flow.

Florida, the Carolinas and the Virginia coasts are some of the primary targets of OCS drilling advocates. Among these, Virginia is our nearest neighbor.

Some short-sighted Virginia politicians favor "opting-in" for the revenue it would provide. But the ecological fate of New Jersey beaches should not lie in their hands. Virginia is just 75 miles from New Jersey beaches. A catastrophic "Spill-One" in Virginia could destroy the ecology and economic values of the Jersey shore for generations to come. It's more than idle speculation.

Thus, the "line in the sand" we must draw against drilling to protect New Jersey's beaches must include the Atlantic Outer Conti-nental Shelf, without exception. The Sierra Club asks that our neighbors, friends and the thousands of tourists who enjoy our beaches each year join hands with us in opposing lifting the OCS moratorium.

Second, now what about those record "Big Oil and Gas" profits some even call "obscene"? Isn't making money the American way? Well, it depends. About one-quarter of all oil and gas produced in the United States comes from federal lands and federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico.

According to the Interior Department, the current byzantine United States "royalty" system will let companies pump about $65 billion worth of oil and gas from federal territory over the next five years without taxpayers receiving a single dime.

So in the vacuum created by the Bush Administration's lack of a real energy policy that should include energy efficiency and clean, renewable resources that reduce fossil fuels and foreign oil in particular, "Big Oil and Gas" fashioned its own energy policy. It's called, "Take the Money and Run." Taxpayers should receive "fair return" for use of taxpayer property." Should "Big Oil and Gas" be held accountable for "ripping-off" American taxpayers? The Sierra Club answers with a resounding, "Yes."

A. Gregory Auriemma

Brick Township

Mr. Auriemma, an attorney in Brick, is chair of the Sierra Club of Ocean County and the New Jersey Delegate to the Sierra Club's Atlantic Coast Ecoregion "ACE" national task force.