Russ Harding, the head of the MI DNR under Governor John Engler, has a column in the Detroit News advocating for oil and natural gas drilling in the Great Lakes.  Excerpt and link:

State geologists estimate that 30 wells could be directionally drilled under the Great Lakes.

Based on this, our state leaders should reject the worn-out argument that Michigan does not have enough untapped oil and gas to make a difference — a reasoning that if followed ensures a permanent energy stalemate.

Directional drilling, also called slant drilling, is performed at an angle, allowing placement of the well head onshore rather than on a drilling platform in the lake.

In the 1990s, I asked the Michigan Environmental Science Board, a group of scientists mostly from universities with environmental and natural resource expertise, to examine if directional drilling under the Great Lakes posed any threat to natural resources.

Its conclusion: There “is little to no risk of contamination to the Great Lakes bottom or waters through releases directly above the bottom hole portion of directionally drilled wells. There is, however, a small risk of contamination at the well head.”

The board made recommendations on how to reduce any impact to the Great Lakes from the well head, including locating the wells at least 1,000 feet from the shoreline and implementing proper waste disposal measures.

Before the ban, eight wells had been directionally drilled under the Great Lakes without environmental harm.

Despite these, the Legislature still voted to ban directional drilling under the Great Lakes.

No matter how bullish one might be about alternative energy, experts agree that we will be dependent on oil to meet our nation’s transportation and energy needs for many years to come.

Full column:

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080904/OPINION01/809040325/1008

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