It would be interesting to see a discussion linking foreign policy in the Middle East with environmental policies in the U.S.
Every day America spends nearly 150 million dollars on imported Crude oil. Our dependence has grown to nearly 60% of needed supply. Much of this oil is brought in from countries which don't practice democracy, liberty or freedom.
Yet, we have a way to reduce this dependency. We have oil in abundance in the Outer Continental Shelf greater than 3 miles from our coastlines. The Outer Continental shelf is America's best hope for major new domestic energy development. It has the potential to supply large quantities of oil and natural gas for decades.
In Alaska we have ANWR, many of us have heard the debates and watched the vote last year in the Senate opposing drilling there. ANWR is estimated to contain 12 billion gallons of oil. That single oil field in ANWR could reduce our dependency from 60% currently, to 50%. Yet we haven't taken the opportunity to drill.
Those people who oppose opening the Alaskan oil reserves are pouring billions of dollars into the back pocket of Sheiks and dictators.
They will argue, let's increase our CAFE standards, lets reduce our energy dependence, let's do something else besides extract oil in our own nation. However, is this realistically going to happen in the next 5-10 years? Is it realistically going to happen without a complete cultural change in the way every American lives their life, travels to work, or picks up the kids at soccer practice? I don't believe so.
Most of us have heard the stories of how offshore drilling is environmentally dangerous, and to a certain extent they're correct in the sense that all energy extraction is dangerous for the environment. The question is, is it more dangerous to drill for oil off our continental shelf, or transport via tankers oil from the Middle East, while pumping billions of dollars into the back-pocket of dictators, many of which support terroristm either directly or indirectly?
America's offshore drilling industry is probably the cleanest large energy extraction business in the world. Much of offshore drilling production is done to obtain natural gas. So, if you oppose offshore drilling, you're opposing one of the cleanest sources of energy available.
Guess who opposes offshore drilling? Greenpeace, the Sierra club, and other environmental organizations.
Have their unbending policies and large campaign contributions potentially caused us to go to the brink of war in the middle east?
These would be interesting questions to consider. |
