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Mississippians want what’s left of the view Residents rally against offshore natural gas drilling; one resident says we want what’s left of the view after casinos took most The Associated Press
An estimated 3,000 people rallied Aug. 21 against proposals to drill for natural gas within sight of Mississippi’s coastal islands and beaches, saying the process could harm natural vistas and put a dent in tourism.
The rally at the Coast Coliseum was sponsored by the 12 Miles South Coalition, a group that wants to keep rigs a dozen nautical miles south of the barrier island national parks.
The crowd criticized Gov. Haley Barbour and Mississippi’s two U.S. senators, Trent Lott and Thad Cochran, who did not attend.
“In spite of what certain politicians tell us, your mother is right. You can’t have your cake and eat it too,” said engineering consultant Jeffrey Bounds. “Keep that in mind when anyone wants to talk to you about drilling.” The cake comment referred to Lott, who recently said he hopes to work with both sides on the drilling issue.
Bounds said the amount of natural gas estimated to be under Mississippi waters, 350 billion cubic feet, would meet the nation’s demand for only four or five days. And extracting the gas would take 10 to 20 years. Concern with loss of tourism He said the state could lose millions of dollars if tourism on the Gulf Islands National Seashore declines because of drilling. Speaking on video, state Rep. Diane Peranich, D-Pass Christian, referred to “regrettably shortsighted politicians and their cronies who just don’t get it.”
U.S. Rep. Gene Taylor, D-Miss., mentioned the 17,000 casino and tourism jobs on the Coast and said, “We’re doing all that we can to make things better, and I do think drilling in state water jeopardizes that.”
He also told the crowd that the move toward drilling near the islands “can’t be turned around without the help of Gov. Barbour.”
Barbour earlier in August said he had asked the Department of Marine Resources to study the impacts that testing, exploration and development of energy resources could have on the state’s coastal waters.
“Because of the need to protect the natural and economic well being of the Gulf Coast, I am determined we will thoroughly evaluate all aspects involved with the implementation of the 2004 law before any final actions are taken,” he wrote in a letter to the department’s director. Residents should decide Attorney General Jim Hood said at the rally that he wouldn’t want to see anything imposed on the Coast that the residents don’t want. Taylor said he, Lott, Cochran, Barbour and state lawmakers have the power to stop drilling in federal and state waters near the islands. State Sen. Billy Hews, R-Gulfport, said people on the Coast have a passion for their natural resources.
“Most issues have a shelf life of a couple of weeks,” Hews said. “But I think this is one of those issues that won’t go away.”
Betty Bittner of Gulfport and Rosemary Wallace of Biloxi, who attended the rally together, both want to save coast’s natural beauty.
“We don’t want oil rigs in sight of us or in sight of the barrier islands,” Bittner said.
Wallace said: “I want what’s left of our pristine beaches, what’s left after the casinos have taken most of our views.”
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