Op-ed: Offshore Drilling - Royalties, Jobs, Energy, Great Fishing!

Jane Van Ryan
Posted November 9, 2009

A Walton Sun (Florida) op-ed, authored by geoscientist Al Swiercz and published last week, discussed the benefits of offshore drilling for Florida residents and the United States. Swiercz said that exploration would "not only protect the beauty of our beaches, but allow us to reap the benefits of offshore exploration," including tax revenues, jobs--including "blue-collar" rig jobs which pay upwards of $75,000 per year--and great fishing areas around offshore platforms.

Swiercz also reminded Florida residents that the environment would be protected:

"Safety procedures and environmental restrictions are strongly enforced, and many sensitive areas such as Alaska or even Mobile Bay have discharge tolerances whereby even a bucket of rainwater can't be thrown overboard."

For more information, read the full op-ed and read this comprehensive primer below on offshore access to domestic resources.