With outrage at pumps, eyes turning to Gulf gas

WASHINGTON – An exasperated Rep. John Peterson of Pennsylvania waved his arms last week while pleading for Floridians to understand why drilling for natural gas is not a threat to their beaches.

It’s not like drilling for oil, the Republican said at a news conference outside the Capitol. And if the public is in an uproar over gasoline prices, he said, wait until they get air conditioning bills this summer or lose their jobs because natural gas prices are killing businesses.

“Natural gas shouldn’t even be an argument,” he said.

The headlines these days are about $3 gasoline. But Republicans and some pro-drilling Democrats are using the uproar to press for drilling in the eastern Gulf of Mexico – where supporters say the main enticement has been an abundance of natural gas, not oil.

Anger over pump prices is fueling debates far removed from how Americans get to work as some lawmakers argue it’s evidence of a general energy crunch.

Gainesville Sun