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Stabenow plans bill to ban Great Lakes oil and gas drilling Directional drilling used to reach under lakes; none of Great Lakes states allows platform drilling by The Associated Press
U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow said May 4 that she will introduce legislation to ban further oil and natural gas drilling in the Great Lakes.
“Drilling in the Great Lakes is a shortsighted approach and has the potential for catastrophic environmental damage,” she said.
A small amount of oil and gas already is being extracted from seven sites along the Michigan shoreline.
Gov. John Engler imposed a moratorium on new wells in 1997, but he is preparing to lift than ban.
Stabenow, D-Mich., is the latest lawmaker to join the battle over Great Lakes drilling. U.S. Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Menominee, has submitted bills to ban further drilling in the Great Lakes, but he says the Republican House leadership won’t give him a hearing.
Stabenow said further drilling could have serious environmental consequences.
“It is not worth putting one-fifth of the world’s fresh water supply at risk for a few weeks’ supply of oil and gas,” Stabenow said. Directional drilling used The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has said that environmental risks are slim when directional drilling is used. With directional drilling, oil is extracted and pumped to rigs that remain on shore. None of the Great Lakes states allows platform drilling.
The head of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality said this week that directional drilling for gas and oil along the Great Lakes coastline is safe. He told the Petoskey News-Review that decisions about whether to resume should be based on science, not emotion.
Whether significant reserves of hydrocarbons rest under the Great Lakes is uncertain, Russell Harding said, and beside the point.
Slant, or directional, drilling had been used 20 years, had proved to be environmentally safe and had the potential to add an estimated $100 million to the state’s Natural Resources Trust Fund.
There are 13 directional wells along Michigan coastlines.
“We need to get the debates back into the realm of science and common sense,” Harding said.
Harding said any new gas or oil found under the Great Lakes would not change gas prices. But he said it’s wise to embark on a renewed search for oil in response to a national need for more sources of energy.
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