We recently posted a poll to find out if or how news of the Gulf oil spill is affecting your opinion on increasing domestic drilling — and 320 of you responded! Of the options provided, the answer “Renewables will take time. I’d rather use domestic oil while we work toward all-renewables” got the most votes, with43.6 percent or157 votes. Continuing to rely on foreign oil (to prevent further damage to domestic ecological systems) received the fewest votes. (You can see the full results below.)
Of course, that was a couple of weeks ago, and since then news of the spill and its potential to possibly surpass even the Exxon Valdez spill of 1989 in catastrophic wildlife loss and other environmental damage has only gotten worse. Whether you’re concerned about human health, wildlife, water system health, jobs, the food supply, the economy, oil prices, or any of the other areas affected by such a spill, this event will no doubt bring significant, if not devastating, effects.
While the poll gives us a picture of what you’re thinking, it’s limiting in that you can only choose from the options offered. So we want to know, in your words, if your opinion about increasing domestic oil exploration and drilling has changed in light of the event and, if so, why?
In light of the ongoing oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, what do you think about the talk of opening more U.S. drilling operations?