A public opinion poll commissioned by Investor’s Business Daily indicates that 59 per cent of Americans still support “oil exploration and drilling in America’s national territorial waters.” The sampling of 795 individuals was taken 10-15 days after BP lost control of an offshore well in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20. Only 31 per cent of the survey sample disapproved of offshore drilling.

A similar IBD poll taken in July 2008 registered 64 per cent support for offshore exploration and development. A five per cent shift is remarkably small under the circumstances.

Unfortunately, BP’s attempt to place a concrete and steel funnel over the wild well failed because methane hydrates crystallized, plugging the 100 ton device. The icing is due to the well’s unusually great depth. If crude from the blowout – believed to be producing 5,000 barrels per day – inundates the Gulf coast for several months, it’s hard to believe that Americans won’t flinch, at least while memories are fresh.

Even so, the poll indicates a remarkable degree of support under the circumstances. It just goes to show the potential for public consensus if North American petroleum producers took the trouble to effectively promote other long-term domestic energy solutions like oilsands bitumen, shale kerogen and coal liquefaction.