The Lure of Black Gold

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Ever since the Santa Barbara oil spill nearly 40 years ago, Californians have consistently opposed putting more drills off their coast. Is this survey a knee-jerk reaction to the politics of the day and high gas prices, or are we seeing a real and lasting shift in state residents' attitudes toward offshore drilling?
The numbers may slip back and forth depending on the cost of gas and what people hear from leadership, but we're probably in a period of time where this issue will continue to divide California. And of course the debate will continue, and questions remain about drilling's environmental impact.

Do you think this survey will prompt more people on both sides of the issue to act?
I think that the discussions about offshore drilling on the national scene are what is prompting people on both sides of this issue to act. Our survey reflects that heated dialogue between Republicans and Democrats. It's the national discussion that is already taking place more than the survey results—from the president vs. Congress or McCain vs. Obama, it has raised awareness about this issue and raised questions about the extent to which we should expand domestic energy sources.

I interviewed Santa Barbara's mayor just three weeks ago, and at that time she was confident that Republicans in her city were still widely opposed to more offshore drilling. What did your survey find among Santa Barbara Republicans?
We didn't break it down to a city level. This has always been described as a coastal issue, with the coastal residents always against and inland folks always in favor. But I have to say that while the majority of Bay Area responses were opposed, if you look at Orange County and San Diego County, a majority in both were in favor of more drilling. So you can't assume that Republicans who live on the coast are still against offshore drilling. You have to come back to the fact that with this heated national debate and a very close presidential race, this will result in more people lining up their views with the candidates they support.

Offshore drilling has become an issue in the presidential race. Do you suspect Senator McCain will point to your survey results in his energy speeches in the coming days and weeks?
I've not heard him comment on it so far. I've never felt that his speeches about energy were directed at California; it's a Blue State. His energy policies are more directed toward the heartland.

But couldn't he make an effective argument for offshore drilling by citing your survey numbers and saying, "Hey, even Californians back the idea now"?
Well, as someone who's followed public opinion polls for two decades, I personally don't take much comfort from the fact that 51 percent support something. If you factor in the margin of error alone [plus or minus 2 percent], it might not even be a majority. It's a divisive and volatile issue.

In addition to the increased support for offshore drilling, the survey also finds that 83 percent of Californians still support federal funding for research on renewable technologies such as wind, solar and hydrogen. Does this suggest California voters are confused and conflicted?
No, I think they're just looking for solutions everywhere. They strongly support federal efforts to increase fuel efficiency. They are looking for alternative, renewable energy, and the survey shows a 7 percent increase in support for nuclear power, as well as for more oil drilling. The profile emerging from these findings is that Californians are deeply worried about where we're headed in terms of energy; they've been hit hard in the pocketbook and are looking for solutions.

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Posted By: mccainsupporter @ 08/08/2008 10:11:02 PM

Democratic disdain for energy production by US companies is evident with the current ownership of former US energy companies. Is it any surprise that the jewell Arco Oil Company which owned 80 percent of our Alaska Oil Reserves was bought out by British Petroleum Corporation at the end of the second administration of Bill Clinton due to the hostile Democratic attitude toward energy companies. It is no accident that the largest US builder of nuclear power plants, Westinghouse Nuclear Power Construction Division was bought out by Japan???s Toshiba Corporation. While 80 percent of France electricity is generated by nuclear power, only twenty percent in the US is generated due to the successful efforts of Democratic party to kill the US nuclear power industry. Significantly, nuclear power is not considered a mainstay of Democratic plans to address our energy crisis.There is also a worldwide shortage and backlog of orders for oil drilling platforms and oil drilling ships but US shipyards are not building these ships. Only one percent of the world's commercial ships are built in US shipyards. Hold your breath for the Democratic outcry and push for government help to US ship builders to build oil drilling ships in the US.
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Posted By: mccainsupporter @ 08/08/2008 9:47:47 PM

Democrats under the leadership of Barack Obama want to effectively give away in trust our offshore exclusive economic zone by standing in the way of any current offshore development. Under the 1982 United Nations Law of the Seas Convention the US has an exclusive economic zone of 200 nautical miles and mineral seabed rights up to 350 nautical miles extending along the Continental shelf. A nautical mile is 6080 feet so our exclusive economic zone extends about 240 miles and mineral seabed rights extend 420 miles. The US has the world's largest offshore exclusive economic zone totaling 4.4 million square miles. In comparison, the total land area of the United States is only 3.4 million square miles.
On the East coast alone, if you drive from Key West Florida to Bangor Maine it is 2000 miles. Multiply the 2000 miles by mineral seabed rights extending out 420 miles results in a total of 840,000 square miles of ocean acreage. Because we have the world's largest offshore coastline which is twenty-five percent greater than our land area, it only makes common sense that we exploit our offshore resources to achieve our energy independence.
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Posted By: BCSutton @ 08/06/2008 8:07:54 PM

In one word, yes. Drilling is becoming more acceptable as the financial hardship of $4/gallon gas hits people further and further down the economic ladder. Many Republicans in states like California have been afraid to come out publicly for drilling because of the vicious backlash effect that the environmental left has perfected. What many people don't realize (or don't want to talk about) is that drilling offshore will bring prices down immediately, not because it will increase our supply overnight, but because it will burst the speculators' bubble on oil futures. Prices have been largely driven by speculators betting on the continued scarcity of oil into the future because of our unwillingness to develop our own natural resources. Since President Bush lifted the Executive moratorium on drilling, however, gas prices have come down almost $.50 a gallon in my state, and it will continue to decrease as long as we are serious about taking control of our own energy needs and production through every available means - including offshore drilling, developing ANWR and developing the abundant oil shale deposits we have in the U.S. We need to drill, we need nuclear power and we need to give energy companies compelling reasons to reinvest their profits into developing other sustainable sources of energy rather than just issue fat dividends to their shareholders.