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27 Year Ban on Offshore Drilling Expires
Congress Opens Door to Risky Drilling,
Audubon Urges Renewable Energy Solutions

After 27 years of protecting our coastal regions and their fragile and rich ecosystems, Congress bowed to intense election season politics and refused to extend the moratorium for another year. Big Oil and its allies 'declared victory' shortly thereafter, though nearly all sides acknowledge expanded offshore oil drilling would do nearly nothing to address high energy prices in the U.S.

The moratorium that expired unceremoniously on September 30, 2008, follows a campaign led by Big Oil to open our coastal habitats to dirty and dangerous drilling. Audubon and other conservation groups pressed to extend the protections and urged Congress to speed development of clean, renewable energy sources.

In a statement, Audubon's Betsy Loyless said, "It's no secret that Americans want and need a green energy revolution that will spur energy conservation and expand clean renewable sources of power... When the political season is over we will urge Congress to quickly adopt measures we know will help permanently end our dependence on fossil fuels, reduce global warming pollution, and create thousands of clean energy jobs to restore America's position as an energy leader."

Misrepresentations about the benefits and risks of lifting the offshore drilling ban continue, with proponents continuing to exaggerate just how much oil and gas can be obtained by drilling on America's coasts and how this drilling could lower high gasoline prices, while ignoring the potential and most likely risks. Offshore drilling causes large amounts of routine pollution in the form of produced water, drilling muds, and small oil spills, but also carries the risk of less frequent very large spills that would shut down multi-billion-dollar coastal tourism economies and cause significant damage to aquatic ecosystems.

Think you know all the facts on offshore drilling? Take our new Drilling Quiz and test your knowledge! Then keep your eyes out for alerts in the coming weeks that will be your chance to let your Members of Congress know they should not sacrifice our environment for something that provides no help at the gas pump! Instead, Audubon is asking for cleaner, cheaper and faster solutions that will help consumers now, protect our coasts and other special areas, break our addiction to oil, and reduce global warming pollution.

Take action. It's easy to send a letter directly to your members of Congress at the Audubon Action Center.

Learn more. Audubon has produced two fact sheets with more information on the realities of offshore drilling.

The first fact sheet demonstrates the resistance of coastal governors to open up their precious shorelines to oil drilling. Citing risks such as economic losses, decreased tourism, and the need for a more sustainable energy source, the governors briefly explain their opposition. Download the fact sheet (257 KB PDF).

The second fact sheet is a response to the misleading reasoning of those who claim that offshore drilling is a safe practice, as demonstrated by the lack of oil damage after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Download the fact sheet (287 KB PDF).

Oil washes onto a Texas beach after a small spill. USFWS