One Environmental Idea Worth Sinking

Reading the Feb. 21 article “Dismantling of Oil Rigs Marks Change” confirmed a suspicion I’ve had for a long time, that environmental extremists have taken everybody around the bend with them.

Apparently the plan is to remove four nonproductive platforms, piece by piece, taking all sorts of precautions against water and air pollution--all for a mere $35 million.

Why? It seems to me the easiest thing to do is simply plant underwater charges and let the whole thing merely collapse into the sea. I can hear the gasps now--some “greenies” may have gone face-down in their granola. But try to get a grip and hear me out.

Over the past few hundred years, thousands of ships and not an insignificant number of planes have ended up on the bottom of the sea. These ships were full of fuel and crude oil, munitions, various chemicals and so forth. As a matter of fact, more oil was spilled into the sea during every month of the five years of World War II than in the 51 years since. Essentially, you had more than the equivalent of an Exxon Valdez spill every day. Guess what. No one even mentioned the “environmental impact.” Everyone had their hands full worrying about the millions of people who were dying.

What about the long-term effect of those ships littered across the Earth’s oceans? Turn on your TV and you’ll see programs devoted to diving and exploring the “diverse underwater ecosystems” created by these “environmental disasters” of a bygone era.

Much the same thing would happen if these steel platforms were demolished into a tangle of twisted steel on the sea bottom. Even now, the pilings of these old rigs are home to thousands of fish and crustaceans. The removal of the platforms would leave the sea bed barren and most of these creatures would simply perish. In effect, we would have a net loss of marine life.

There are 23 platforms in the channel. If they are all eventually removed in the manner planned, the cost would be more than $200 million. Ah, but who cares if Chevron is paying? If you believe that, you have really lost touch with reality. We’d all be paying. And for what? For the Holy Grail of environmental correctness--even though it means turning a garden into a desert.

RICHARD SCHAEFER

Ventura