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Gas Prices, Hurricanes, and Environmental Regulation
by Eric Schaeffer & Mary Nagle
Oct 3, 2005
On October 26, the Senate Environment Committee voted 9-9 to reject efforts to cut back on clean fuels and rush environmental permits for refineries in an effort to speed up gasoline production. Oil company profits are at record levels, refinery expansions are already underway, and the industry's own leaders have publicly said that environmental rules do not significantly hamper investment in new refining capacity. The Senate action suggests that these facts are finally beginning to sink in.
Rather than relax environmental rules, Congress should consider strengthening construction and maintenance standards for offshore rigs and refineries in the hurricane prone Gulf Coast. The damage to our energy infrastructure shut off supplies and raised the price of gasoline, but also inundated communities like Meraux, Louisiana, with devastating oil spills. EIP joined other environmental groups in arranging for hurricane survivors from the Gulf Coast to travel to Washington to share their views with Congress during the debate over refinery rollback legislation.
Experts agree that hurricanes will increase in frequency and severity over the coming decades. Nearly half our refining capacity is situated in Gulf Coast states, and major efforts are already underway to expand that capacity. If we want to avoid spiraling gas prices and oil spills that wipe out entire communities, we ought to take reasonable precautions to minimize damage from the next storm.
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