Ike holds lessons to guide policy

According to an analysis of federal data by The Associated Press: "Hurricane Ike's winds and massive waves destroyed oil platforms, tossed storage tanks and punctured pipelines.

The environmental damage only now is becoming apparent: At least a half million gallons of crude oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico and the marshes, bayous and bays of Louisiana and Texas.

In the days before and after the deadly storm, companies and residents reported at least 448 releases of oil, gasoline and dozens of other substances into the air and water and onto the ground in Louisiana and Texas.

The hardest hit places were industrial centers near Houston and Port Arthur, Texas, as well as oil production facilities off Louisiana's coast, according to the AP's analysis.

With the storm approaching, refineries and chemical plants shut down as a precaution, burning off hundreds of thousands of pounds of organic compounds and toxic chemicals.

In other cases, power failures sent chemicals such as ammonia directly into the atmosphere."

Still think it's wise to answer our country's energy demands with simply, "drill, baby, drill"?

Christine Frantzen

Naperville