WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Bart Stupak (D-MI) was joined by Members of Congress representing states from the Great Lakes region to introduce the Great Lakes Oil and Gas Drilling Ban bill (H.R. 2930) that would prohibit oil and gas drilling in or under the Great Lakes.

“Without this bill, oil and gas drilling in the Lakes remains a real threat,” Stupak said. “We could end up with eight different drilling policies when what we need is one united front and one policy that says: no drilling in our Great Lakes.”

Eight Great Lakes Governors signed a non-binding agreement in 1985 that only has the force of law if the states instituted statutes in response. Congress enacted a temporary ban in 2001 that was extended in 2003 and then again recently through 2007. Currently, Michigan, New York, Wisconsin, Illinois and Ohio have drilling bans in their states but Indiana, Pennsylvania, and Minnesota do not.

“No one thinks that the bottomlands of the Great Lakes will provide enough oil and natural gas to make even a small dent in the amount of America’s energy needs that are supplied by imported oil and natural gas,” Stupak said. “The fact remains that an accidental oil leak or spill has the potential to contaminate the ecologically sensitive shoreline and the freshwater of the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes, which are home to one-tenth of our country’s population, are a unique treasure in that they provide drinking water for over 33 million people.”

Statistics suggest that after 26 years worth of oil and gas extraction, the seven producing wells beneath the Great Lakes have not produced enough energy to fuel the nation’s needs for even one day. In fact, in their entire lifetime, the directionally drilled wells (under the US side of the Great Lakes) have only produced  enough natural gas to fuel the US for 9 hours and enough crude oil to fuel the US for 35 minutes. 

There are serious risks posed by drilling.  The threat of an accidental or intentional release of hydrogen sulfide is very real. Hydrogen sulfide or "sour gas" has effects similar to cyanide; high concentrations of hydrogen sulfide can kill a person within a matter of seconds.

In the summer of 1996, 11 people were hospitalized after an intentional release of hydrogen sulfide from a natural gas well in Manistee, Michigan.  There was another release in 1997 with people once again being injured. Aside from hydrogen sulfide, an oil spill on the shoreline can contaminate groundwater.  It only takes one quart of motor oil to contaminate 250,000 gallons of water and to create a 2-acre oil slick. 

“Unfortunately, pollution knows no boundaries,” Stupak said.  There are an average of 135 oil spills in the Great Lakes every year.  When an oil leak or a spill occurs, the people of Michigan or another Great Lakes state pays the price.”

Members of Congress from Great Lakes states attending the event included: Melissa Bean (D-Illinois), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Vern Ehlers (R-Michigan), Rahm Emanuel (D-Illinois), Brian Higgins (D-New York), Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), Dale Kildee (D-Michigan), Mark Steven Kirk (R-Illinois), Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio), Steven LaTourette (R-Ohio), Janice Schakowsky (D-Illinois), and Louise McIntosh Slaughter (D-New York).

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