Poll shows that viewers don’t want offshore drilling

From conference rooms to dinner tables, the discussion continues to rage about oil drilling since it was made public that eighteen licenses have been awarded for exploration offshore and on land.  Environmental NGOs want a ban, but GOB is not of the same mind. On Thursday night, we asked: Do you believe that economic benefits outweigh the potential risk from drilling in the barrier reef? Seventy four of those who polled said no and twenty six percent said yes. One viewer Dr. D.W. Schwerdtfeger wrote: The potential losses to our fishing and tourist industries to say nothing of the loss of quality of life in Belize for our own citizens far out-weigh the potential economic advantages of the oil. Clearly, the risk is significant. We should not be drilling before we have perfected safeguards against leaks.