Big Oil spent more than $280 million in the first six months of 2008 to convince the American people that more offshore drilling would lower their price at the pump. Desite our opposition, the current federal spending bill contains no drilling moratorium for the first time in 26 years.

Offshore drilling creates a heavy burden on the oceans. Even when there are no large spills, the drilling and production process routinely releases hundreds of thousands of gallons of water and mud tainted with mercury, carcinogens and poisons into fragile ecosystems. And the risk of catastrophic disaster, like the 1969 oil spill that ravaged Santa Barbara, Calif., is always present.

Instead of working to open our coasts to oil and gas drilling, Congress should pursue real solutions to our energy problems, including making our cars and trucks go farther on a gallon of gas and exploring renewable sources for electricity.

We’ve already started to work on reinstating a version of the offshore drilling moratorium. While a majority of the public understands that clean alternatives are essential for our nation’s new energy future, the economy and fighting global warming, too many people mistakenly believe that more drilling will help get us there and reduce prices.