Offshore Drilling? Don’t Make Me Regret My Vote

Posted by Cynical Sarah on April 1, 2010

This week President Barack Obama announced his administrations “comprehensive strategy for energy security.” Part of the plan: expanding oil and natural gas development and exploration of the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf.

If it had been April 1, I would have assumed the announcement was part of some elaborate April Fools joke.

Wasn’t this part of the Former President George W. Bush energy plan? More drilling certainly sounds familiar; just substitute Alaska wild lands instead of offshore drilling. You can pretty it up any way you want, but lipstick on a pig is still lipstick on a pig.

So what’s being used to make this pig look pretty? The promise that it’s part of a temporary solution to decrease our reliance on foreign oil and natural gas while we work on natural grown alternatives.

In his own words from a press release from the White House, Obama said, “I want to emphasize that this announcement is part of a broader strategy that will move us from an economy that runs on fossil fuels and foreign oil to one that relies on homegrown fuels and clean energy. And the only way this transition will succeed is if it strengthens our economy in the short term and the long term. To fail to recognize this reality would be a mistake.”

Notice the use of the economy as a way to pretty up the need for more drilling as well. They’re taking one of the biggest concerns people have right now and using it to get what they want. Hmmm, that sounds vaguely familiar as well. George W. had 9/11 and terrorism to fall back on; Obama has the economy.

So instead of reducing our reliance on foreign oil so we’re less involved with the Middle East and less likely to attract attention from terrorists, we need to drill for oil to create jobs and make our economy better.

I’m irritated by the drilling suggestion, and I’m irritated by the obvious political maneuvering and manipulation. And there’s no guarantee the additional oil drilling will do anything to effect gas prices and create jobs. I’d like to see the studies they’ve done and the numbers they’ve crunched that says this will happen. Otherwise, I have to side with environmental organizations like the Sierra Club that believe the risk isn’t worth the possible rewards.

“Drilling our coasts will doing nothing to lower gas prices or create energy independence. It will only jeopardize beaches, marine life, and coastal tourist economies, all so the oil industry can make a short-term profit,” said Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune in a press release.

“President Obama has taken important steps to combat global warming pollution and reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. Our nation’s increasing investment in clean energy and efficiency measures make drilling in sensitive coastal areas even more unnecessary.

“There’s no reason to drill our coasts. We can achieve real energy independence and economic vitality by investing in clean energy like wind and solar and efficiency. This kind of power creates good, lasting American jobs and positions our nation to become a global leader in the new clean energy economy.”

Brune is right that President Obama is on track in other ways with his energy plans. Last year he issued an executive order to green the federal fleet. The government has since doubled the amount of hybrid vehicles it uses in the federal fleet and plans to first 100 plug-in vehicles that roll off the assembly lines in America.

Today, the Environment Protection Agency and Department of Transportation are expected to sign a joint final rule establishing greenhouse gas emission standards and corporate average fuel economy standards for light-duty vehicles for model years 2012-2016.

Great steps forward, yes. Enough? No. If you want to make me happy as well as the oil companies, you need parallel legislation that is meant to get companies across the nation to be greener, bring down carbon emissions, better regulate auto efficiency and commit to funding and support for alternative/green energy research.

All of these things will also help stimulate the economy and create jobs. Our companies and our auto industry will be more competitive and on par with those around the world who already have these strict regulations.

You would think this commonsense approach would be the most obvious. It’s amazing how politics can blur sense so badly.

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Tags: environment, going green, news, politics

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