Accidents make Gulf sale a bad idea
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is considering a five-year plan to sell off 92.2 million acres of the Gulf of Mexico, plus additional land in the Arctic, for oil and gas drilling. This is a bad idea and I’ll tell you why:
On May 12, as BOEM was holding a hearing on the plan in New Orleans, an accident at an underwater pipe system connecting four oil wells in the Gulf created a huge oil slick reported to be almost 90,000 gallons. The pipelines in question are owned by Shell, and are only 50 miles farther from the shore than than the BP Disaster. Tapping the eighth-largest carbon reserve on Earth would be a disaster for our climate and increase the chances of another oil spill like the BP disaster.
According to the Coast Guard’s National Response Center, the oil industry has thousands of accidents in the Gulf of Mexico every year, and many of them under-report the volume of oil spilled or its real cost on Gulf communities.
OSCAR BIRD, ROSWELL
Prices are real turnoff for Braves fans
I applaud Arthur Blank for announcing the new lower food prices at the new stadium, which has been long overdue. However, the real turn-off for most of us fans is the ticket prices. Ticket prices have kept me away from NASCAR, Braves, Hawks and the Falcons. I never understood why ticket prices became so high. The AJC reported last year that a man and his wife with two children attending a Braves games spent well over $100 at the game. I wonder if there is a solution for these high ticket prices? I love to attend sporting events, but it is almost out of reach for me.
ALTON POWELL, CHATTAHOOCHEE HILLS
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