FOX News Channel "Your World" Interview - Subject: Opposition to Offshore Drilling

Interview

FOX News Channel "Your World" Interview - Subject: Opposition to Offshore Drillin

MR. CAVUTO: Well, drill here, drill now. That is the president's message today, saying that Gustav is proving it is time to open up our Outer Continental Shelf to drilling. With us now, Democratic Congressman Frank Pallone of New Jersey who opposes additional offshore drilling.

And Congressman, the only thing I gotta say is we have no other choice right now, right?

REP. PALLONE: No. I think we have many choices. And the biggest problem with these hurricanes, as we witness with Katrina and Rita, is a lot of times you do have major spills. We estimate that with Katrina and Rita, you had almost as much pollution coming from the oil-drilling platforms, about half as much as you did in the Exxon Valdez. So it's a real problem. And you know, you have to be concerned --

MR. CAVUTO: Where did you get that? Where did you get that? I've never heard it.

REP. PALLONE: That statistic? It's a fact. I think it comes from the Mineral Management Service, Department of the Interior. So I mean, it's a continual problem.

MR. CAVUTO: We've not had rigs destroyed by even the most lethal of storms. Now, I guess you're right, you could always have an accident, you could always have a problem. But here's a perennial concern we have. We need energy, we need more oil. Now, I know you're a champion of looking for alternatives, as am I, so why can't we do that as well?

REP. PALLONE: Well, I think the bottom line is right now there's a huge amount of offshore resources that are available in the Gulf, in Alaska, off of California that are simply not being drilled. And one of the things that the Democrats did under Pelosi was to put up a bill in Congress in July -- and I'm sure we'll do it again when we come back in September -- that says that you have to drill where you have the leases now, and if you don't there will be some penalty to try to encourage the oil companies to drill in the areas that are now open to drilling.

I don't understand why it's necessary to go into these more sensitive environmental areas like, you know, ANWR, Alaska National Wildlife Refuge.

MR. CAVUTO: Part of my understanding of the leasing agreements, Congressman, is that those who have them, who rent them essentially, can say to you, we think there's a better bet for oil here, and we'd like to swap those leases or pay for those leases over the existing ones we have. What's wrong with that? Why not give them that right, and if they fail at that right, it's their money, they lose out?

REP. PALLONE: Because, again, we're talking about environmentally sensitive areas. You know, you have my district which is off the coast of New Jersey. I mean, we have billions of dollars that come from tourism and use of the beaches. And if we have a spill, all that is destroyed, and we just don't want that to happen. I mean, it makes sense to sort of have a balance. And in this case, I think that the areas that are not environmentally sensitive are open to drilling. So why not drill there? Why go to these environmentally sensitive areas, Neil?

MR. CAVUTO: All right. Congressman, thank you for coming.

REP. PALLONE: Thank you.

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