Offshore drilling has onshore risks

This letter is in response to the July 11 commentary by Rep. Henry Brown. Some of the points he makes are debatable.

"Fifty to 100 miles offshore, far from our pristine beaches, is at least 420 trillion cubic feet of natural gas." Other government estimates are lower and it may not be technologically or economically possible for companies to extract some of the natural gas. Other comments are valid. "New techniques are infinitely safer than ever before."

However, these statements ignore the complexities of actually getting that natural gas into our homes and, if oil is found, the gasoline into our cars. While Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) drilling rigs would not be visible from the beach, the oil and gas still needs to be brought to shore.

Once on shore, natural gas and oil would have to be stored, refined and distributed, requiring hundreds, if not thousands, of acres of large tanks, refineries, roads and rail lines. Concurrent with this is the constant stench of petroleum and unbelievable light pollution.

Would Mr. Brown want this anywhere in his congressional district? Certainly not near the Grand Strand. Tourism would suffer. Not near Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge. Lights would disorient sea turtles and migrating birds. Not in the ACE Basin. That would be unthinkable. If near Savannah, then residents with multimillion-dollar homes on Hilton Head Island or in Palmetto Bluff would probably protest. The problem is not with OCS drilling. The problem is with the onshore effects resulting from it. Mr. Brown writes, "The tourism industry is suffering because visitors can't afford to drive to our beautiful beaches and historic sites."

Well, they will not be driving here if we turn our coast into a replica of New Jersey or Houston. Despite all of their "calls, e-mails, and letters demanding solutions" to Mr. Brown, I do not think his constituents have considered the alternatives. CNN reports that it would be a decade before we saw any oil from the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge in our cars, even if drilling started tomorrow. A similar time line would be true for OCS drilling.

Unless and until these questions are addressed, our senators and congressmen should work toward more environmentally sound and sustainable solutions.

SALLY R. MURPHY

Huspah Court South

Sheldon

Sally Murphy was the sea turtle coordinator for the Department of Natural Resources in Charleston.