Monday, March 18, 2002
An interesting article on the real reasons the Bush administration is pushing so hard for oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). I have long been skeptical about the claim that drilling in Alaska will reduce our dependence on foreign oil. The sheer expense of drilling in Alaska, not to mention how little oil compared to our total oil usage would ever be found, leads one to believe that this is like chopping down the last stands of sequoias for the billion dollars over the next 20 years such a move would generate. It's simply not worth the risk, it seems to me.
What's truly galling is our nation's ongoing refusal to seriously consider enforcing fuel efficiency standards (as shown by the recent rejection of a proposal co-sponsored by John McCain to boost fuel efficiency to 36 miles/gallon over the next 12 years). If we REALLY gave a damn about reducing our dependence on middle eastern oil producers, then we would be tripping over ourselves to double fuel efficiency. Granted, all those people who engaged in the ever bigger SUV arms race would find themselves with higher fuel bills. But, for crying out loud, do we want to be more self-sufficient in energy or don't we?
We seem to be of the opinion that there is no pain involved in shifting our dependency on dodgy foreign regimes. Drilling in Alaska will NOT make up for the amount of oil we import from Saudi Arabia, however much politicians might wish to ignore that fact.
What's truly galling is our nation's ongoing refusal to seriously consider enforcing fuel efficiency standards (as shown by the recent rejection of a proposal co-sponsored by John McCain to boost fuel efficiency to 36 miles/gallon over the next 12 years). If we REALLY gave a damn about reducing our dependence on middle eastern oil producers, then we would be tripping over ourselves to double fuel efficiency. Granted, all those people who engaged in the ever bigger SUV arms race would find themselves with higher fuel bills. But, for crying out loud, do we want to be more self-sufficient in energy or don't we?
We seem to be of the opinion that there is no pain involved in shifting our dependency on dodgy foreign regimes. Drilling in Alaska will NOT make up for the amount of oil we import from Saudi Arabia, however much politicians might wish to ignore that fact.
