Can U.S. Oil Drilling Really Cut Gas Prices?
Don’t believe the hype
President Bush urged Congress today to “permit drilling for oil off America’s coasts — on the outer continental shelf — to combat rising oil and gas prices.” The President also recommended drilling in ANWR, Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Yawn.
Republicans are betting high gas prices will persuade Americans to persuade their representatives that drilling in the States will reduce four dollar gas prices.
Don’t buy it, America.
On his June 15, 2008 appearance on CNN, Rep. Chris Van Hollen explained that ” Facts are stubborn things. Sixty-eight million acres of federal lands, currently leased to the oil and gas industry, are sitting idle.”
The oil and gas companies don’t need more places to drill.
Van Hollen continued:
“The issue isn’t whether or not we should use our natural resources. The issue is exactly where. And what you’re saying is, when you’ve got sixty-eight million acres of federal lands already leased, you should use that before you start looking elsewhere. ”
If you do drill in Alaska, you wouldn’t see effects on gas prices for ten years, and then, it would be about two cents per gallon. As John McCain said, there are already areas where they can drill. We shouldn’t be drilling there.
And let me point out that the Department of Energy, our own department of Energy, has said, if you drill in Alaska, first of all, you won’t see any results at the pump for 10 years. And after 20 years, you might see a reduction of two cents per gallon.”
Even if we did break our stewardship of the environment and allow drilling in every conceivable location in America, it is unlikely we’d make a significant dent in who controls the world’s oil.
With oil accounting for 96% of our nations transportation and 50% of coal industry operations depending on it, we need alternative solutions to our nation’s energy desires, such as biomass, hydrogen, and nuclear.
With oil companies earning ludicrous profits already, the last thing America needs to give oil companies is a greater latitude on where they can drill.
If only there were some humor to this sticky situation:
[flv]http://garlinggauge.com/videos/frontfelloff.flv[/flv]
Satirists John Clarke & Brian Dawe of Australia take on a sticky subject.
Drive less. Walk more. Live thoughtfully.
Images: http://images01.trafficz.com/cache/h3w4/500_1190850881_oil_wells.jpg
http://www.theage.com.au/ffximage/2007/12/09/OIL_ST_wideweb__470×298,0.jpg
http://oceanlink.island.net/oceanmatters/images/megaborg.jpeg
Stumble it!
To our leaders in congress……
we all know gas prices is sky rocketing affecting all corners of industry. america have reserves for the military and for emergency.
we need to tap our resources in north dakota and south dakota, montana and called as the bakken oil formation. it estimated to billions of oil of high quality.
may be our leaders in the congress do not feel the heat because of dollar allowances that they can fill up their tank with no second thopught.
rich nations in middle east, we made them rich and we beg for their oil. tapping our oil resources could help our industry. please stop oil politics, we need to move forward and develop more on our behalf. we have all the technologies far more greater than any nation. we suffer enough on shortage of oil. our defendency on oil is magnified thru, sooner opec could no longer keep the oil flowing to america, the closer they look the closer they could no longer offer.
we need to tune up and bring its output . america do not need to hang up tight, if this so where we at, paying the price we could no longer reach. can we sustain the growth of economy ?
i have faith in our leaders, can do more