There's no need to go out and file an injunction yet, but the Interior Department is considering drilling for oil and gas in the southeast Bering Sea. Unlike other parts of Alaska, a bi-partisan Congressional mandate placed a moratorium on drilling in the Sea after the Exxon Valdez did a number on the South Alaskan coast 19 years ago. But the Bush Administration, with the help of "Bridge To Nowhere" Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens, have repealed the ban.

The Bering Sea drilling zone is thought to contain 2.5 billion barrels of oil and 23.3 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. Considering we go through 7.5 billion barrels of oil per year, that would barely get us through the summer driving season. As for the natural gas, 23.3 tfc would not quite cover a year's worth of natural gas consumption -- and this is assuming the estimates are accurate and all of the resources can successfully be pumped out of the seabed.

[Speaking of the Bering Sea, Russian President Vladimir Putin said last month he wants to build a 64-mile tunnel that would run under the Bering Strait between Russia and Alaska. Estimated cost to connect two of the world's most sparsely populated areas: $65 billion -- though maybe they could use some of the oil revenues to pay for it.]

Ironically, local politicians in Alaska are in favor of the drilling, because commercial fishing is becoming less lucrative in the area. Considering offshore drilling is considered to have negative impacts on ecosystems in the vicinity of drilling, we don't exactly see this as a good thing. Sure, with the high and rising prices of fossil fuels, the state (and oil companies) would generate some serious revenue from extraction. But, fossil fuels are non-renewable resources, while fish can make more fish in less than millions of years, making them quite renewable. Defenders of Wildlife argues that the drilling could damage, "one of America's only remaining sustainable marine ecosystems."

So, if you think that drilling for oil and gas is not the best use of the land, then let the Minerals and Management Service know. They're required to read all your comments, and even include and respond to ones that raise legitimate issues in their Environmental Impact Statement.