We're always going to need oil for transportation, I agree, that would be difficult and expensive to replace. h28-30% of our oil goes to transportation. Fine, between what we can produce, Mexico and Canada, that's beyond covered.
We've coasted for years not having to develop other sources of energy for the other 60-70% of our energy use: electricity, heating, cooling, etc. We live on petroleum, natural gas, coal, and any attempt to develop other sources is met by screams of protest. It's beyond time to change that, but we're spoiled in the US. We want anything we want, when we want it, and nobody can tell us no. We use it until it's gone, with little to no planning ahead or thought to the future (see water in the western US).
Plenty of other, rather easily implemented, increasingly inexpensive ways to create electricity - geothermal, wind, hydroelectric, etc. We need to get serious about that, rather than going after more oil for these uses.
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You want the end of offshore drilling? Start by opening up ANWR and let's go at it. I'd prefer land based drilling for the simple reason that you'd never have a leak go 24 hours let alone 50 some days.
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It took 5 days for the largest Alaskan North slope spill to be detected a few years back. Thousands and thousands of gallons spilling over the tundra.
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Until then, we need to perfect the techniques for the extraction of oil to drive the probability of this kind of event to as close to zero as we can get it.
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Bobby Jindal is screaming for drilling to resume, due to jobs needs. I'd think all those oil men can be gainfully employed bringing the thousands of oil rigs currently drilling in the Gulf up to new safety standards.