Secretary of State John Kerry indicated on Sunday that he’s becoming more comfortable with the idea of offshore drilling as he learns more about how it’s done, and how few accidents there are.
“Well, we drill under the ocean in many places in many parts of the world,” he said in an interview with NPR, after being asked whether ocean drilling is more risky than other drilling operations. “In point of fact, and I’ve always been very leery of it and very concerned about it, but as I have learned more about it, particularly the new technologies, there are precious few incidents when you measure it against the amount that is taking place and what is happening.”
Kerry also said it’s possible that lessons learned from the Deepwater Horizon spill in 2010 could help build confidence for more drilling in the future, and said the administration’s decision to let Shell Oil drill off Alaska’s shore is a test of what the industry has learned.
“I believe the lessons that came out of the Gulf incident, properly applied, could ramp up the confidence level very significantly, and that’s what the president is putting to the test,” he said.
Kerry said more knowledge and technology was developed after the BP spill, and repeated a few times that the Shell lease is a “test.”
“[W]hat the president has done is sort of put this to the test,” he said. “This is not a rampant opening to all comers. It is leases that existed prior to the president becoming president — they already existed. He’s taken that and he’s going to put to test whether or not this can be done.”
Kerry, a vocal environmentalist, made those comments after the Obama administration has spent several weeks defending its decision to let Shell drill in the Chukchi Sea between Alaska and Russia. Environmentalists say that decision goes against the White House’s overall push to impose tighter climate regulations.
The White House last week argued that oil is still needed while the country tries to “transition” to renewable energy, although Kerry’s comments seem to indicate the Obama administration may have tolerance for oil beyond its use as a “transition” fuel.
President Obama is in Alaska this week to talk about the environment.
