Summit County Citizens Voice

Responses to survey varied geographically

Deepwater Horizon Response Bird Rescue. Coast Guard Photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class John D. Miller.

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Many Gulf Coast residents most directly affected by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil disaster have become more concerned about a wide range of environmental issues, including sea level rise.

Some also became more likely to support a moratorium on deepwater drilling and  to favor alternative energy rather than increased oil exploration. But the responses varied geographically, with Lousiana residents less likely to support limits on drilling, while Florida residents favor stronger environmental protections, according to University of New Hampshire researchers who interviewed 2,023 residents of the Gulf Coast conducted in the aftermath of the explosion on the BP Deepwater Horizon oil rig in April 2010.

“If disasters teach any lessons, then experience with the Gulf oil spill might be expected to alter opinions about the need for environmental protection. About one-fourth of our respondents said that as a result of the spill, their views on other environmental issues such as global warming or protecting wildlife had changed,” said UNH sociology professor Lawrence Hamilton. (more…)

Filed under: energy, Environment, oil drilling | Tagged: Deepwater horizon oil spill, Florida, Gulf Coast of the United States, Louisiana | 1 Comment »