With gas prices over $4.00 per gallon and with no sign of them going done anytime soon, and the devastating impact that is having on our economy and family budgets, there is a growing movement to drill for oil domestically—in the Atlantic Ocean and in the Alaskan National Wildlife Reserve. Our oil dependence on countries that have vowed to kill us was not enough to have us get serious about producing alternatives to Middle Eastern oil until we started to experience real economic pain.
Recent Rasmussen polls indicate that 67% of American voters favor off shore oil drilling, 60% favor ANWR drilling and 59% oppose lower speed limits to conserve on fuel. A Pew Research study indicates that 60% of American favor developing new energy sources over 34% who prioritize protecting the environment.
Yet in New Jersey, our highest level elected official have come out against off shore drilling from Maine to North Carolina.
At a press conference on the beach in Belmar this week, Governor Corzine said, “"It makes little or no sense to most of us to be drilling on the Outer Continental Shelf anywhere, but particularly in the Atlantic and the mid-Atlantic . . . in specific."
Senator Robert Menendez said drilling also would yield little oil, take at least a decade to bear fruit and do nothing to bring down gasoline prices.
Our leaders are understandably concerned about the environment and on how oil production would affect the Jersey Shore tourism industry. It seems to me that they are being short sighted.
Those who propose more domestic oil production and alternative energy sources like wind energy, which has also been proposed and opposed off the Jersey Shore, say that technology has improved such that energy production is not a threat to the environment. They point to the fact that there were no oil spills at rigs in the Gulf of Mexico as a result of Hurricane Katrina and that the rigs act as artificial reefs with marine life thriving around them.
And, other countries have started to drill off America’s shores. China and Cuba are drilling 50 miles from Florida. They are doing something called “slant drilling” which means that they are bringing up oil under America, which they will probably sell back to America at a hefty profit.
It is difficult to wade through the demagoguery and rhetoric on both sides. But it seems to me that if it is possible for New Jersey to become an energy producer, from oil, wind and other sources, without jeopardizing the environmental treasures we now enjoy, that we should consider it rather than reject it out of hand as Corzine, Menendez and others have suggested.
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What I've been trying to find is why these fellas *think* "it makes little or no sense" to drill off of the coast? The only things that are like reasons are these claims:
1) It would take 10 years for production to start (so? Will we not need oil in 10 years?)
2) It would create a terrorist target (because the terrorists have been targeting our power plants, not our office buildings?)
3) It would create an environmental issue (because every day/month/year/decade there are major oil spills? When was the last one anyway?)
The one reason I *might* give these guys is the "do nothing to bring down gasoline prices" line - after all - if we start pumping our own fuel, the OPEC nations will just start pumping less, meaning less supply from them, and thus it might even raise prices - those OPEC nations aren't going to play nice if we start producing to compete with them. Of course, if we don't take 10 years and just quickly get drilling started, they won't have time to jack up the prices/decrease supply and screw us before we can handle our own production.
We NEED alternative energy sources - we need solar powered cars - the first one was developed in the 50s and I should assume we've come no where in 60 years because I still can't buy one?
We need nuclear power plants - France has safely operated over 50 of these things, in an area the size of Texas, for a 60 years with no problems based on our American technology. We've essentially given up on nuclear.
We need to allow LSVs and NEVs on our roads - they get great gas mileage and if the driver is at a "safety risk", it is a risk the driver knowingly assumes. A motorcycle is clearly at least as much a "safety risk" on the highway to the rider as a LSV/golf cart, so why the problem?
We need a band-aid (offshore drilling last week) and a long term surgury (better technology - no more ICEs - use of nuclear/solar/wind/etc) to cure us of the problems - our current representatives have done nothing to even clean the bleeding wound.
Here are a few reasons not to drill in ANWR...this first one is from the official energy statistics from the US Government...
"The size of the underlying resource base. Because there has been little petroleum drilling or exploration in ANWR, there is little first-hand knowledge regarding the petroleum geology of this region. The USGS oil resource estimates are based largely on the geologic conditions that exist in the neighboring State lands. Consequently, there is considerable uncertainty regarding both the size and quality of the oil resources that exist in ANWR. Thus, the potential ultimate oil recovery and potential yearly production are uncertain."
( Report #: SR-OIAF/2004-04
Released Date: March 2004)
This one is from Wikepedia....
"The Alaska Inter-Tribal Council, which represents 229 Native Alaskan tribes, officially opposes any development in ANWR.[7] In March 2005 Luci Beach, [8] the executive director of the steering committee for the Native Alaskan and Canadian Gwich’in tribe (a member of the AI-TC), during a trip to Washington D.C., while speaking for a unified group of 55 Alaskan and Canadian indigenous peoples, said that drilling in ANWR is "a human rights issue and it's a basic Aboriginal human rights issue."[9] She went on to say, "Sixty to 70 percent of our diet comes from the land and caribou is one of the primary animals that we depend on for sustenance." The Gwich'in tribe adamantly believes that drilling in ANWR would have serious negative effects on the calving grounds of the Porcupine Caribou herd that they partially rely on for food. [10]"
Maybe we should listen to the people that live there....and our own government research.
Is it worth the risk? I bet you would say yes since you're not risking anything.
Who died within the past few seconds, before AP news could report it, and made the Alaska Inter-Tribal Council the official, elected government & representative of the Alaskan peoples? Did Alaska dissolve their elected government? Part ways from the Union? Please shed some light on this breaking story!
From what I can find at http://www.anwr.org/people/people.htm it would appear that the locals support drilling in ANWR. Then again, based on recent APP and NJ.com story comments, I'd say "most" of the people in NJ support off-shore drilling as well, but why would any elected representative of the people actually want to represent the people anyhow? Especially if some unelected council says otherwise?
As for being unsure of the quantity or quality of said oil, I suppose there is only one way to find out... I'll run home and get my diesel powered electric generator and my drill, meet me at the Parkway entrance in 30 minutes with some of that orange fencing and a few stakes to make our property out West! Road trip to personal, independent wealth here we come! (and no need scuba gear for this trip!)
PS. I, along with many others, risk being unable to afford our mortgages, puppy treats, food, water, education, health, cars, Barbie dolls, etc if oil prices continue to rise at this rate - so I would have to say NOT drilling isn't worth that risk.
Yeah Jimmy...kind of like the nearly 70% of Americans who want us out of Iraq..yet the elected officials just won't go by the polls...who do they think they are!
Although, I think its very nice of you dogs to forego puppy treats for the sake of some Caribou.
70% of people want out of Iraq??? I should combine getting out of Iraq with my energy policy and run for Congress or something! I'd at least be representing the majority of people on *2* major issues...ohh, wait. hrmph.
Democrats have pushed a responsible, comprehensive energy policy to provide relief from these high prices and wean our economy off fossil fuels. In the short-term, we're calling on President Bush to immediately release oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR). Earlier this year it took an act of Congress to force the Bush administration to stop filling the SPR while oil is at record high prices. Now we are calling on him to release some of the SPR oil onto the market to help drive down prices. Similar actions have been taken several times, most recently by President Bush following Hurricane Katrina. Each time prices dropped significantly. Taking this simple step would probably reduce gasoline prices more in 10 days than President Bush's offshore drilling proposal would do in 10 years.
We are drilling more domestically than we have in years. Following on Vice President Cheney's ridiculous statement that conservation is merely a "personal virtue," the Bush administration's energy policy has basically been to drill for more oil and gas wherever they can and hope that the prices come down. It has leased public lands for drilling throughout the West, the Gulf Coast and elsewhere at a record pace over the last 7½ years.
In addition, oil and gas companies should "use or lose" access to the 68 million publicly held acres where they can currently drill but aren't. There's no reason that companies should be able to lock up oil and gas reserves on publicly held land when we've made a choice as a nation to begin extraction in those locations.
Interestingly, right now the oil and gas industry is sitting on 68 million acres of public lands where it could be drilling but isn't. It has some 6,000 leases in the Gulf of Mexico (where the majority of oil and natural gas reserves are found) that are not being explored. According to Senator McCain and President Bush, the oil and gas industry wants to lower prices for American consumers but they can't because they're prevented from drilling. This couldn't be further from the truth.
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