Parker modifies stance on drilling

A candidate for one of the state’s most hotly contested legislative seats has tempered one of his campaign promises to push for greater offshore oil drilling.

Republican hopeful Kevin Parker, seeking the state House seat currently held by state Rep. Don Barlow, D-Spokane, said Friday he’s undecided on whether he would support drilling off the Pacific coast of Washington, explaining that statements in a recent campaign brochure were mostly aimed at proposed drilling in other states.

“I haven’t made a decision on that,” Parker said when asked if his promise to push for drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and along U.S. coasts included Washington’s shorelines. His campaign flier, however, draws no distinction: “Kevin Parker will push for responsible domestic drilling in ANWR and the Outer Continental Shelf, decreasing our dependence on foreign oil,” the flier reads, in part.

Meanwhile, his opponent expressed surprise that Parker was campaigning on issues that state legislators traditionally have had little control over.

“That’s an interesting comment because that’s not really an area that’s related to state government,” said Barlow, who opposes drilling off Washington’s coast “because of the environmental impact it might have on the state.”

“That’s really more of a federal issue,” Barlow said.

Drilling for oil off Washington’s shores has been a hot topic before.

In the mid-1980s, the Interior Department included the state on a list of places being considered for leases for oil and gas drilling, according to previous news accounts. The listing prompted significant debate between federal officials and then-Gov. Booth Gardner, who expressed concerns about drilling’s possible effects on coastal tourism, fisheries and wildlife. In 1990, the issue subsided after President Bush barred new oil leasing along much of the United States’ coasts including Washington’s.

Nationally, offshore drilling re-emerged as a key issue this year as fuel prices climbed to record highs.

Parker said he suspects the future will include a mix of alternative energy sources and traditional fuels. If citizens in an area strongly support the expansion of drilling, such as in Alaska, further oil exploration should be considered, he said.

“I do support offshore drilling because we can do it in a safe environmental way and it will help with our local gas prices in Eastern Washington,” Parker said.

One of the candidates fighting for the district’s other House seat, Democrat John Driscoll, said he doesn’t believe more offshore drilling would have any effect on gas prices, at least in the short term. Asked his opinion on offshore drilling off Washington’s coast, he said, “Absolutely not.”

“By the time we could get the oil flowing from drilling it would be five or 10 years from now, and we need to deal with our energy issue quicker and in a different way anyway,” Driscoll said. “The environmental risk you create by offshore drilling is unacceptable.”

Driscoll faces incumbent Republican John Ahern, who said Friday he would support drilling off Washington’s shores.

“Absolutely, if there’s oil out there, you better believe I would,” Ahern said. “We need to utilize our own resources.”

Ahern said offshore drilling hasn’t been an issue in his eight years in the Legislature. He added that he’d like to see growth of other energy sources such as solar and nuclear.

All four candidates running in the district said the state should promote the development of alternative energy sources such as solar and wind power

“I’m a huge proponent for the use of alternative energy in the state of Washington,” said Parker, who suggests using tax credits. “We have a unique economic opportunity here.”

Barlow agreed.

“We need to look at alternative sources of energy, and if someone is interested in coming up with a solution I think we should give them all the support we can get,” Barlow said.