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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: GROUND ZERO™ who wrote (738977)	5/5/2006 12:37:49 PM
From: DuckTapeSunroof	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769670

U.S. Military Opposes Offshore Virginia Drilling Plan by Dale Eisman The Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Star, Norfolk, 4/28/2006 URL: rigzone.com The military wants oil and gas drillers to stay out of waters off the Virginia coast, where it says energy exploration would interfere with weapons tests and the training of thousands of service members each year. The Pentagon told a key regulatory agency this month that a proposal to open the area to drilling also could endanger oil company employees and equipment. "The Navy requires unencumbered access to the full expanse" of this area, and other service branches also use it extensively," Donald Schregardus, the service's deputy assistant secretary for environment, wrote in a letter to the federal Minerals Management Service. With energy prices skyrocketing, MMS wants to expand offshore oil and gas exploration. It has drafted a five-year plan to permit drilling both off Virginia and in portions of the Gulf of Mexico in 2011. Schregardus' letter came in response to an Interior Department request for public comments on the proposal. Schregardus wrote that the placement of drilling rigs and wells in the area would force the military to move its activities farther from the shoreline, increasing fuel costs and placing soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines farther from rescuers when they're involved in training accidents. The Navy uses large portions of the wedge-shaped area east of the Eastern Shore and Virginia Beach to test-fire missiles, aircraft machine guns and the 5-inch guns on some of its surface ships. Navy pilots also practice aircraft carrier landings and takeoffs, and the service tests unmanned underwater craft in the area, Schregardus wrote. The military's opposition to exploration is the second setback for drilling proponents in recent weeks. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine earlier this month rejected legislation to lift a long-standing state moratorium on offshore drilling. "We certainly understand the importance of making sure the military training and weapons testing is done," said Dan Naatz, a vice president of the Independent Petroleum Association of America, a group that represents drilling companies. Technological advances can minimize their "footprint" on the ocean's surface in areas under exploration, he said. A single platform now can service as many as 10 wells spread out across an area of the ocean floor, he said. "There is a great likelihood that these things can coexist," Naatz argued. For state and federal legislators in Virginia, a state with a huge military presence, the drilling issue could force some uncomfortable choices between energy and defense interests. The Navy's needs are "absolutely the top priority," said U.S. Rep. Thelma Drake, R-2nd District, who has supported opening waters off Virginia to exploration. But Drake said service leaders should consider whether drilling platforms would make the Virginia training areas more realistic. The service regularly operates ships and planes in areas, including the Persian Gulf, with offshore structures, she said. U.S. Sen. John W. Warner, R-Va., who also has supported additional offshore exploration, issued a statement noting he had not proposed drilling in any particular area. "My philosophy is driven simply by the need for the American marketplace to have an increased supply of natural gas to meet the growing demand," Warner said. It's up to the states involved and a variety of federal agencies, including the Defense Department, to collaborate on locations for exploration, he added. (C) 2006 The Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Star, Norfolk, VA. via ProQuest Information and Learning Company; All Rights Reserved

To: GROUND ZERO™ who wrote (738977)	5/5/2006 1:30:15 PM
From: Thomas A Watson	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769670

the guy lost everything. yes he was in charge?? and one can make a case he screwed up big time in judgement. Criminal ressponsibility is totally different than financial. It is quite possible for good people to be conned and seduced into acting stupidly. My view of all the facts shows stupidity and not certain criminality. It's all reported as certain criminality with all kinds of distortions of the facts on record. I have no problem if folks want to sue Ken Lay for the pot he uses to piss in. It's stupid to do but why should that stop anyone. I think Ken Lay has already paid through the nose for his stupidity. What else is there\|? Take a pound of flesh because the stupid guy cost you money while losing all his own. I really see this as one more political trial in the case of Lay. It's like Martha.