Erie Oil and gas Drilling

Great Lakes being seriously considered for oil and gas drilling according to this morning's National Public Radio report. Erie mentioned specifically.

Governer Taft already said its not going to happen. He wont aprrove it.

No? Lets get it in writing. How about MI's Engler. His state is bordered by 4 Great Lakes, including a small portion of Erie. MI had, I believe some active wells which were drilled from inland under L. Mich.

sacry stuff!!!!!!
Not to start a political mess but, interesting that oil drilling in sensitive areas (arctic wildlife reffuge and now great lakes) seems to be a potential reality!!! And here we are bickering about harvesting a few egg laden fish! the oil barrons and their administration are a threat to the health of our natural resources! here is another sensitive issue I found on the web today.

this posting is meant to inform and not create any political pro/anti Bush waste of our time. please don't turn this into one!!

taken from the Ohio Environmental Council web site:


The Bush Administration buzz saw that has been obliterating environmental rules and initiatives on land, air and water is
heading towards an important wetlands and streams protection measure, the so-called "Tulloch-fix" rule. Calls are
urgently needed to EPA Administrator Whitman demanding that this rule not be the next environmental protection
measure to be indefinitely delayed or withdrawn. Currently, the effective date of this final rule is under suspension by the
White House until April 17 - the rule was originally supposed to take effect on February 16. Very soon, the
Administration will decide whether to let the rule take effect or whether to bow to industry pressure and kill it.

Please let your voice be heard on this issue today.

The Tulloch-fix regulation would limit the draining and excavation that developers and mining interests can do in
wetlands, streams and other waters without a Clean Water Act permit. The rule is currently "under
review" by the Bush Administration, as are many other environmental rules adopted in the last month of the Clinton
Administration because of an order sent out by White House Chief Andrew Card the very day of the
inauguration. This order put a host of Clinton Administration regulations on hold for sixty days.

Contrary to Administration assertions that these were all "last minute" rules, the wetlands protection rule was developed
over nearly two years, after mining interests, joined by the homebuilder industry, successfully
managed to have the previous "Tulloch rule" on draining wetlands and streams nullified. Over 10,000 public comments
were submitted during the rulemaking process, the vast majority of which were supportive of the rule.

The Bush Administration must be stopped from withdrawing this rule! Without the rule, wetlands can be ditched and
drained and turned into shopping malls, parking lots, and housing developments, and streams can be essentially
destroyed through mining and channelization without any public notice, environmental review or permit.

my point in posting this is not to start a debate over political views or party lines but to shift some of our energy from the trivial debate about spawning fish to something much larger and with more potential impact to our Great Lake and our persuit of her fish. there are several much larger issues with greater impacts that we should educate ourselves about, please do so!

[CJW]

I have a suggestion make another heading on the board here that states: " Political Discussion Here". That way we won't have to see all this #### under fishing reports for 4 more years! Under the open door donations cmb your man Gore took in more donations from big oil than Bush did. Makes you wonder doesn't it. Neither party is out of the big oil ring. Where money talks they all walk. CW

Drilling for Oil and Gas on Erie is nothing new. The Canadians have been doing it for years. I understand that they have
several very productive gas sites. So this idea is not something new.

Untill you sell your gas powerd car,boat,ice auger,chainsaw,coleman lantern,stove,airconditioner,gas/oil heated home, etc,And then realize your intire little life has come to a comlpete stop.You have no leg to stand on when you protest oil and gas explotation and production. Every time you fill the old boat up YOU ARE PAYING FOR IT.
This is just a bull S**t case of its ok untill its in my back yard. Go buy a horse and wagon and build a birh bark canoe and live in a lean 2 before you open you gob!!!!! The entire civalized world as we know it would collaps with out it...
Jim Z

I have no party afiliation and did not want my responce to lead us down this road!!!! I DO NOT KNOW ALL THE FACTS on this issue, but am nervous about the potential results of these decisions. I recently taught a 3rd grade class about Oil and oil spills, some of the facts I learned (re-examined)scared me!! we will run out of economicaly feasable sources of oil within our lifetimes, or that of our children!! extending this time by a couple of years by threatening irreplacable resources and pristine habitats should not be a choice! wildlife refuges were established for protection against situations and greed exactly like this!

The Tulloch-fix regulation (wetlands) topic was used to illustrate the fact that there are other important issues that have the potential to do more harm to our fisheries than keeping fish during the spawn. the organization from which I took it is not against the current administration but, is FOR THE FUTURE OF OHIO'S ENVIRONMENT!!

No, I will not give up everything in my life that uses or contains oil products (without becoming a self-reliant mountain man- there is no way to live outside it's influance)but, I will conserve what I can, Recycle, avoid synthetic fabrics, support the quest for and use of alternative fuels and OPOSE threatening sensitive areas and pristine habitats in our greedy quest for a little more oil.

Capt. Denny is right.Canadians have done that and without much fanfare. Wonder if this means there haven't been the problems too? Believe me if there were, Greenpeace would be all over them.

One more thing. Someone mentioned that TAft said he wouldn't approve it. This is the same dupe that said he'd sign a right to cary law and reversed once in office. This is the same dupe who is backpeddling from law enforcement in Cinn. and apologizing for law enforcement BEFORE the investigation is complete.

Ever since we stopped building nuclear power plants, we have had to rely on coal and natural gas to create electricity. Maybe if we had more nuke plants we wouldn't have to talk about drilling at ANWAR or Erie. All I know is that we catch fish year round at the warm water discharge at the nuke plants in Wisconsin. It seems that Nuclear power is clean, abundant, doesn't polute the air, and makes it so I can fish with a rod and reel in January.

OK. My post is over, now it's time to get scewered by those much more enlightened than me.