In Our View: No Drilling off Coast

Washington officials have been outspoken about federal plans for offshore oil drilling. The problem is that it’s likely nobody in the Trump administration is listening.

“I don’t support offshore oil and gas exploration in states that don’t want it, and Washington’s citizens have never indicated any desire to have oil and gas activity off their coast,” Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Battle Ground, said. “Energy independence is a worthy goal, but the plan to get there should not include Washington’s coast.” Gov. Jay Inslee and Democratic Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell also have decried the proposal from Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, which would open about 90 percent of the U.S. coastline for offshore oil and gas drilling.

Increasing the risk of oil-covered beaches and wildlife should be enough to raise opposition to the proposal, particularly in an environmentally friendly state such as Washington. The fact that the Interior Department also is actively working to reduce the safety of offshore drilling should be viewed as appalling. The department has repealed regulations put in place after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster spilled about 4.9 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, and it has suspended a study intended to lead to safer drilling platforms.

Combining increased drilling with decreased safety is a recipe for disaster in states that not only cherish their coastlines but rely upon them for commerce. As Gov. Inslee wrote in a letter to Zinke: “In the past, our state’s waters have experienced significant adverse environmental impacts from oil spills. … Following these incidents, the federal government and our state government have taken action to eliminate oil and gas leasing activities off of Washington’s coast, to enhance protection of its marine and coastal waters.”

Not only is the administration’s proposal to sell drilling leases misguided, but it engenders cynicism. Days after the plan was announced, Zinke said he was exempting Florida from increased drilling at the urging of Republican Gov. Rick Scott. Governors of both parties in other states have bristled at the preferential treatment afforded a governor who has been a Trump supporter and who this year is running for Senate.

The decision to exempt Florida could backfire by providing other states with a strong foundation for a legal challenge; if the decision-making is arbitrary, it can be rendered invalid. But in the long run, the entire issue highlights the absurd energy policies of the administration. Trump’s “drill, baby, drill” philosophy runs counter to logic in an age when fracking has greatly increased U.S. oil production and when the world is slowly turning toward wind and solar power.

Trump recently announced a 30 percent tariff on Chinese solar panels. That move will dent China’s industry but also will, according to the Solar Energies Industries Association, cost 23,000 American jobs through a decline in installation and support staff. The solar industry employs about 260,000 people in the U.S.; the coal industry, by comparison, employs about 70,000.

Setting aside for a moment the need to reduce fossil-fuel consumption and pay attention to the reality of climate change, the administration’s energy policies do not make economic sense.

All of that is a big-picture item for another time. For now, the important thing is that Washington’s leaders recognize that offshore drilling would be environmentally and ecologically harmful to the state. We hope they can get somebody in Washington, D.C., to listen.