In a startling announcement Tuesday, John McCain said that he would encourage lifting a federal ban on offshore oil and natural gas drilling. McCain proposed lifting the ban because of what he calls America’s “dangerous” dependence on the importation of foreign oil. McCain’s call is seen as a direct response to increasing fuel prices throughout the country which has caused many critics to suggest that more domestic production will alleviate the high price being charged for oil by increasing the oil supply. However, many people rebut these claims by pointing out that domestic companies will charge just as much as foreign companies because of supply and demand and that building off shore rigging to drill for oil should take another 5 or 10 years to really effect the oil supply in the States. Environmentalists also point to the risk of an oil spill in coastal areas and how that would affect the habitat of those areas.
This was a surprising announcement because of John McCain’s history with oil spills. While on his way to a Mexican vacation with Cindy McCain in 1979, John McCain was a victim of the Ixtoc I oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. This oil spill is particularly notable for how it threatened the habitat of the Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle. McCain experienced this event personally while 
swimming from his departure point in Galveston, Texas to his Mexican vacation villa. During the swim, McCain ran into a large pool of oil being spilt into the Gulf of Mexico. When McCain finally reached his destination, he was unable to keep down food due to accidental ingestion of a liter of crude oil. The picture to the left shows McCain surfacing near Rancho Nuevo, Mexico, his shell covered in spilt crude oil. When asked about the incident Tuesday, McCain said: “My friends, this country faces a crisis. I suffered in 1979 because of an oil spill, but I am confident that the technological improvements of the past 29 years can let us drill in these areas safely.”
McCain’s speech also pushed the importance of energy conservation and looking towards new forms of energy consumption.
Turtlewatching - John McCain 