Court Blocks Drilling Off California

Re “New Coastal Drilling Blocked,” Dec. 3:

Kudos to the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals for blocking President Bush and the oil crowd from going after the California coast.

A hundred years ago, people could not imagine giving up their reliable horse for something new, a smoke-belching vehicle that required fossil fuel. Today, people can’t imagine giving up their reliable fossil-fuel vehicle that still pollutes for something new, a hydrogen fuel cell-based vehicle that will drag us cavemen into the 21st century. Ted Turner has been driving his for years. The city of Los Angeles has just leased some.

This is our independence from our so-called energy-producing allies. Hopefully our joined-at-the-oily-hip leadership will see the future.

Chuck Heinold

West Hills

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I read that California Gov. Gray Davis hailed the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals’ ruling upholding the state’s right to scrutinize any plans for offshore oil drilling for possible environmental hazards as a victory for states’ rights.

If the ruling stands, it effectively means that California has banned any new oil production off its shore.

In that California is a major consumer of petroleum products, this could be seen as “let someone else take the risk to provide our gasoline,” or the next logical step in the “not in my backyard” mentality so pervasive in our society.

If the people of California are truly that concerned about the effect of petroleum production on the environment, and not just on their own environment, then they should demonstrate that concern by stopping the consumption of petroleum products within their state. To do otherwise simply illustrates their hypocrisy.

Charles Harris

Kansas City, Mo.