This is “environmentally friendly” drilling?

Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu once said, "The environmentalists are wrong, actually. We can drill safely off the shores of America."

Today the world is watching in horror as BP fails to prevent millions of gallons of oil from gushing into the Gulf from some of the newest and most technologically advanced equipment in the world.

There are hundreds of these claims by politicians, the media, and oil companies that offshore drilling is somehow environmentally friendly.

• “Oil rigs today generally don’t cause spills.”

– President Obama

"We’re actually getting evidence that drilling could help the environment." – Connell McShane, Fox News

"Offshore drilling must be done in an environmentally safe and responsible way," – Virginia Congressman Glenn Nye

"Oil and gas can be produced in an environmentally-safe manner. – Govenor Bob McDonnell

“If you really cared about the environment, you would let us drill for our own oil.” – Glenn Beck, CNN

"The ocean will take care of this on its own if it was left alone and was left out there.  It’s natural.  It’s as natural as the ocean water is. Well, the turtles may take a hit for a while, but so what?" – Rush Limbaugh

"Gulf: learn from Alaska’s lesson w/foreign oil co’s: don’t naively trust- VERIFY" – Sarah Palin

The current spill, described as more like an underwater oil volcano, is proof that oil drilling is dangerous for our oceans, our fishing industry, and our coastal communities.

Now that they can no longer claim oil spills don’t happen, will our politicians in Congress prevent the next spill by banning offshore drilling?

This blog originally appeared in Huffington Post on May 10, 2010.