Offshore Drilling and Oil Tankers

I am continually impressed by the high caliber of people that President Bush has working for him in his Administration. Believe it or not, Energy Secretary James D. Watkins was quoted in The Times (Part I, July 19), defending the Administration’s unrelenting push to drill for oil off the California coastline, as follows: “It was beautiful. We walked on the beach (in Long Beach as a youngster) and got oil on our feet and we thought that was good because it was helpful to the economy of the state of California.” If all the oil-soaked birds and otters that got caught in the recent massive oil spill in Alaska could speak, they would probably say that they are also proud to be helping the nation’s economy.

Of course, Watkins is not the first person in a Republican Administration to come up with a memorable quote. As I recall, former President Reagan once sad that trees cause pollution. As a regular beach goer, I want to state for the record that my worst nightmares, not my fondest memories, concern oil-soaked beaches, and we Californians will fight to our last breath to stop offshore drilling here.

S. ASIMOW

Glendale