The Toledo Blade
www.toledoblade.com
States straddle line over Great Lakes drilling
Taft, Engler split on fuel exploration
By Tom Henry
Blade Staff Writer
August 13, 2001
While Washington seems to have cooled to the idea of opening
the Great Lakes to more oil and natural gas exploration,
the issue is hotter than ever in Michigan and Ohio.
Michigan Gov. John Engler, a Republican, is considering
issuing as many as 30 more leases for directional drilling
from Michigan's lakefront, while Ohio Gov. Bob Taft, also
a Republican, promises to sign any legislation the Ohio
General Assembly might pass to prohibit drilling from the
Ohio side of Lake Erie.
"We can agree to disagree, but it's important these
issues get made at the state level and not in Congress,"
said Ken Silfven, spokesman for the Michigan Department
of Environmental Quality, the agency that issues drilling
permits in that state.
The opposing views don't support the theory that the issue
is based on party lines, a notion that was advanced May
30 when the Michigan Senate passed a pair of bills for expanded
oversight of Michigan's drilling program.
In those cases, all Michigan legislators in favor are Republicans
and all opposed are Democrats.
The U.S. House and Senate passed bills during the summer
declaring the Great Lakes off limits to more drilling for
at least two years. Even President Bush sided with anti-drilling
activists, stating on Aug. 3 that he will not include the
lakes in his search for energy sources.
"We're not going to have Great Lakes drilling. We
never proposed Great Lakes drilling, and it was never part
of our plan," Mr. Bush said.
The saga enters a new phase Thursday when Michigan's Natural
Resources Commission starts discussing the pros and cons
of issuing more leases for drilling beneath the lakes.
The commission - the governing body of the state Department
of Natural Resources - will meet in Menominee, a small Upper
Peninsula town that borders Wisconsin. Those scheduled to
testify include U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow and U.S. Rep.
Bart Stupak, two Michigan Democrats who co-sponsored the
anti-drilling legislation in Congress.
The controversy goes to that board first because - although
the Michigan environmental quality department issues drilling
permits - the state Department of Natural Resources is the
agency that leases bottomland rights.
A Taft spokesman acknowledged that the drilling issue was
left dangling for weeks in Ohio by its governor after Sam
Speck, director of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources,
had said that his agency might want to start issuing its
own leases.
Ontario has had directional, onshore wells on the Canadian
side of Lake Erie for decades, as well as the only offshore
drilling rigs on either side of the Great Lakes. "At
the time, Sam was leaving the door slightly ajar, but the
governor has decided to slam it shut," said Mary Anne
Sharkey, the governor's communications director.
She said Mr. Taft will "fight any effort to do it
[drill from the Ohio side]," including signing legislation.
Since 1979, 13 wells have been drilled from the Michigan
shoreline at angles designed to avoid contact with the waters
of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. The technique, which is
known as directional drilling, is deployed to minimize the
possibility of spills.
Seven of those 13 wells are operational. Michigan has not
issued leases since it placed a moratorium on them in 1997
to study environmental concerns.
That same year, it started mandating setbacks of at least
1,500 feet from shore as an additional safeguard.
Mr. Engler and Mr. Speck made their statements as natural
gas prices were skyrocketing - roughly about the same time
Mr. Bush introduced a national energy policy that places
renewed emphasis on increased domestic production of oil
and gas.
Environmental lobbyists such as Bryan Clark of the Ohio
Public Interest Research Group said activists had a legitimate
reason to worry, considering that Vice President Dick Cheney
told a Michigan audience in June that the search for new
energy sources could include the Great Lakes.
"The fact they [the Engler administration] are moving
ahead with the 30 new wells shows the Bush statement has
no effect on them," Mr. Clark said. "To dismiss
this as some loopy environmental issue is disingenuous at
best."
Mr. Bush's recent statements may have overridden the Vice
President's remarks, but Mr. Clark is convinced Ohio still
needs its own legislation.
"For us, [Mr. Taft's support] is a dramatic step in
the right direction. But we will not have permanent protection
until [state] legislation is passed and signed," Mr.
Clark said.
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