Drilling in Bristol Bay

Yahoo! News reported President Bush is deciding whether to lift a ban on oil and gas drilling in federal waters off Alaska's Bristol Bay, home to endangered whales and sea lions and the world's largest sockeye salmon run. Leasing in a portion of the area rich in oil and natural gas ended nearly two decades ago — while Bush's father was president — in the outcry after the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989.

So when everyone is so concerned about importing foreign oil, thus providing the money that feeds the Islamofascists, Bush's father stopped drilling in a domestic area rich in oil and natural gas.

But with natural gas prices higher, the Interior Department's Minerals Management Service proposed reopening up the North Aleutian Basin. That includes Bristol Bay and part of southeastern Bering Sea. White House spokesman Scott Stanzel confirmed Saturday the president was considering taking that step. Environmentalists oppose drilling there because of the potential for oil spills and harm to wildlife.

Don't block drilling; establish severe penalties for oil spills, thus giving the oil companies a chance to bring in domestic oil, but giving them an incentive to make sure their tanker captains stay sober, and do other things to prevent, or at least contain, any oil spills.

They have speculated in recent days that Bush might allow such drilling before Democrats regain control of Congress in January.

Go for it. And open up drilling in ANWAR and also in the Gulf. Why should China and Cuba be able to drill off Florida, but the US can't.

"If the Bush administration decides to allow drilling in Bristol Bay, it will simply illustrate the level to which they will sink to satisfy Big Oil," Carl Pope, the Sierra Club's executive director, said Saturday. "They are willing to risk a valuable, renewable resource like Bristol Bay's salmon fisheries for limited, shortsighted drilling plans."

Baloney. They are using domestic sources of oil, and limiting the petro dollars sent to the Islamofascists.