Michigan state Rep. Dan Scripps (D-Leland) has called for a permanent ban on drilling in Michigan’s Great Lakes area, warning that the state’s waters could become “the next victim of a devastating oil spill disaster like the one caused by BP.” His efforts at the state level join those of a Michigan senator to ban offshore drilling in all of the Great Lakes.

U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, has called for a total ban of offshore drilling in the Great Lakes. She recently urged Obama administration officials to meet with their Canadian counterparts about concerns regarding drilling in Lake Erie, where Canada currently operates offshore wells. “I am pleased Canada is willing to discuss concerns over drilling in Lake Erie. I urge the administration to meet with Canadian officials as soon as possible so we can be assured our Great Lakes can be protected,” Stabenow said.

The Canadian side of Lake Erie is the only area of any of the Great Lakes with offshore natural gas wells. These have a perfect safety record, according to the Ontario Petroleum Institute. According to the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, about 2,300 gas wells have been drilled on the Ontario side of Lake Erie, and about 470 are still in operation. Should oil be found in the course of drilling a natural gas well in the lake bottom the well must be capped and abandoned.

While Scripps acknowledged that drilling in the Great Lakes is against Michigan state law, he warned that lawmakers and the governor could change that at any time. He said an accident similar to the blowout of BP’s Macondo well in the Gulf of Mexico would devastate the Great Lakes’ $7 billion fishing and $9 billion boating industries and the hundreds of thousands of jobs associated with them, and destroy the state’s tourism industry.

Scripps’ plan would give Michigan voters the right to make the ban permanent by adding it to the state constitution. If the legislature passes Scripps’ plan, the measure will appear on the November ballot.

“I never want to see our beaches, water or wildlife covered with oil like we’ve seen down South,” Scripps said. “We simply cannot risk drilling in our Great Lakes. An oil spill would decimate our fishing, boating and tourism industries that so many residents rely on for their livelihood. Our waters are an integral part of our economy and our heritage and we must take every precaution to protect them for our workers and for future generations.”

Michigan shares ownership of Great Lakes waters with seven other states and two Canadian provinces. Only three other Great Lakes states — Ohio, New York and Wisconsin — prohibit drilling in the Great Lakes. Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota and Pennsylvania all allow it, according to Scripps.

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