President Bush's recent decision to lift the longstanding executive ban on offshore drilling implies that we, as a nation, are more concerned with prices at the pump than with the health of our coastal economy and environment. Apparently we've forgotten how critical these areas are to our state, national and global economies.

In a world of $4-a-gallon gasoline, elected officials understandably feel the need to ease the burden on consumers. Ultimately, this is a choice between the energy future we want to build or doing the same old thing and expecting a different result. Exploiting whatever fossil fuels may be off our coastline cannot possibly affect current gas prices, is inherently risky to our environment and the economy it supports, and shows a lack of concern for our coastal ecosystems.

Any hope to boost domestic supply from offshore sources is more than a decade away. And even if the U.S. energy picture looks the same 10 years from now, chances are we will not get much relief from these domestic sources. The estimated oil and gas offshore reserves could meet our current needs for only a matter of months.

In exchange for such an uncertain return, coastal Georgia could face an ever-present risk of accidents from oil exploration, extraction and transport that threatens not only our coastal economy but also the perception of unspoiled beauty that underpins coastal real estate values.

In Georgia alone, coastal areas house fisheries worth $45 billion annually, and coastal tourism brings in $2 billion each year. These estuaries and marshlands also are essential to quality of life on our coast because they absorb and retain floodwaters, filter pollutants, serve as storm protectors and provide inspiration for vacations and verse —- functions and value provided free of charge.

Just last month, ExxonMobil went to the Supreme Court to wriggle out of compensating victims of the Exxon Valdez spill of almost two decades ago. Match that against promises that oil and gas exploration and transport are so much safer today. As the Valdez case illustrates, accidents and negligence (not to mention storms) happen. And it only takes one to cause devastating and irreversible damage to our coastal economy and environment.

Finally, the argument that the U.S. cannot be serious about energy independence if we refuse to drill for offshore oil is flawed. First, there is no guarantee that oil from domestic sources will stay in the United States. Currently, oil from Alaska's North Slope is sold in Asia. Second, as evidenced by the ever-expanding liquefied natural gas terminal in Savannah and the promise of offshore wind energy development, the Georgia coast already is playing a part in the nation's energy future.

Rather than responding to the pain at the pump by rushing to drill in some of our most fragile environments, our congressional and state leaders must work to ensure an energy future based on energy efficiency, conservation, renewable resources and forward-looking technologies. Building a future on this foundation will have far greater impact than gimmicks aimed at responding to gasoline price spikes.

Georgia declared long ago that its coastal environment and economy are worthy of protection. Let us not value our coastline simply in terms of a dead-end energy resource. Instead, let us leave our state a better place for our children by demanding that Congress say no to oil and gas exploration off our coast.

> Patty McIntosh is a vice president of the Georgia Conservancy.