Michele Bachmann Sticks By Crazy Everglades Oil Drilling Plan

By Kyle Munzenrieder Fri., Sep. 2 2011 at 4:30 PM

Categories: Politicks

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While passing through Florida last week, Tea Party queen and Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann made waves by suggesting she'd be open to drilling for oil in the Everglades. Never mind the fact that scientists claim there's very little oil lying under river of gross, and even fellow Tea Partier Allen West said it was a "faux pas." Bachmann is undeterred, and says only " radical environmentalists" would be opposed to drilling in a national park that is a critical source of drinking water for millions of people.

Bachmann has since walked back on her remarks, but hasn't abandoned them all together.

"I haven't said specifically that we should be accessing energy [in the Everglades]," she said while in Miami earlier this week. "The American people are saying: Let's access this wonderful treasure trove of energy that God has given to us in this country. Let's access it responsibly. That's the answer. If we can access energy responsibly, we do it. If we can't, we don't. It's that simple."

Well, we know for certain that God has given us a major resource in the Everglades, but is there actually oil lurking around?

"There is no known evidence that there is a significant hydrocarbon deposit beneath the Everglades," USF Geologist Dr. Albert Hine told WTSP.

Though, facts like that seem to be nothing but roadblocks to Bachmann.

"The radical environmentalists put up one road block after another to prevent accessing American energy," she told the station. "We also have oil in the Eastern Gulf region."

Southwest Florida is a huge Republican stronghold. We'll have to see come the Florida primary how they feel about the possibility of living in between two potential oil drilling sites in the Gulf of Mexico and Everglades.

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