S.A. refiners say expanding offshore drilling 7/11/2008

Luke Metzger, director of Austin-based Environment Texas, says more offshore drilling is not the answer to energy independence for America. Environment Texas is a nonprofit citizens group that advocates at the state and federal level for clean air, clean water and open spaces. "If you compare Texas beaches to the pristine Florida beaches, there's your answer," Metzger says. "Drilling has had a serious impact on beach quality and water quality. Increasing drilling will only exacerbate that." Metzger says the key to helping the U.S. be more dependent on itself for energy is to look at alternatives such as Congress raising fuel mileage standards for vehicles, hybrid technologies for vehicles and alternative fuels like ethanol. "We are never going to drill our way to energy independence," he says. "If we are going to be serious about solving our energy problems, we need to invest in those alternatives."