July 20, 2010
Coastal Program Coordinator
Southern Alliance for Clean Energy
Charleston, SC 29412
Dear Ms. Reale,
I would like to thank you again for the opportunity to speak at the 26 June action event for “Hands Across the Sand” as well as follow-up on some of the points that I made during my speech, notably related to alternative solutions to offshore drilling. The information provided in this letter supersedes my comments about drilling alternatives on 26 June.
In order to have an intelligent discussion on alternative solutions to offshore drilling we must appreciate how much energy offshore drilling would provide, how long it would last with our current consumption patterns and how much it would cost to acquire that energy. For the purpose of this letter I will only address the supply of natural gas and petroleum on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf (AOCS) that stretches from central Florida to Maine.