John B. Breaux: “Some in Florida--and I understand their argument--say we have beautiful beaches; we do not want oil to be spilled around…”

“Some in Florida--and I understand their argument--say we have beautiful beaches; we do not want oil to be spilled around our beaches. I do not want it to happen either. I argue the wetlands in Louisiana, which are about 25 percent of all the wetlands in North America, with the wildlife--the birds, the ducks, the geese, fish, shrimp, oysters, fur-bearing animals, alligators--all of that ecosystem which is probably the most complicated anywhere in the world has been able to thrive and do very well in supporting those wildlife features and at the same time support the largest amount of oil and gas production anywhere in the world. In addition to that, the statistics say what the risk is. Advances in technology have made this operation the cleanest activity of finding energy anywhere in the world. For example, for the period between 1980 and 1999, a 20-year period, 7.4 billion barrels of oil have been produced in the Outer Continental Shelf with less than .001 percent spill. That is a 99.999 percent safety record for oil. I dare any industry anywhere to come up with those safety numbers.”