Feuding Over Fuel
Monday, April 19th, 2010
“Save the planet!” shout the Democrats. “Drill, baby, drill!” shout the Republicans. “Ecosystem!” “Economy!” And so the debate rages on.
President Obama recently signed legislation that will allow oil companies to drill in previously protected areas. Of course, environmentalists and liberals are up in arms. For the
former, it's bad to drill because of pollution concerns and the destruction of plant and animal habitats. The Democrats demonize it because they need a platform—36 Senate seats and the House of Representatives are up for reelection later this year.
Before denouncing Obama's decision to allow off-shore drilling, a number of things must be taken into account. Number one? Reality. Anyone who ever takes a cab, a bus, drives a car, a motorcycle, or a lawnmower depends on oil. Where does oil come from? The ground. And
how does one get things that are underground? By drilling. Granted, the imagery of drilling itself seems evil. Picture this: a drill bit, two feet in diameter, with spiked revolving wheels
around its edge, specifically designed to pulverize dirt, rock, and anything else that is between it and oil. It's not pretty. BBC's "Planet Earth" has put images of beautiful nature, untouched by humans, on television screens across the globe. Oil rigs besmirch these beautiful panoramas.
No one is arguing that the machinery required for drilling and the way it impacts the environment is a good thing—things can go wrong. Harmful materials from the ground, oil spills, and toxic drilling fluid are all bad. Regulations have been implemented to minimize pollution from drilling as well as the possibility of oil spills. However, we (humans) have come to depend on oil. It is even necessary in order to deliver environmentally friendly organic produce to your favorite grocer.
Greenhouse gas emissions from burning petroleum products are causing global warming. Only those in denial are arguing otherwise, and we, as a nation—as a planet!—should switch to electric cars. But electric cars are expensive.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the United States consumes about 19.5 million barrels of petroleum products everyday, about 12 million more than our nearest competitor, China. 57 percent of the oil consumed by the U.S. is imported, 20 percent of that from Canada and 20 percent from the Middle East. Producing our own oil decreases our dependence on foreign countries, which is a good thing. Anyone who argued that we went to war in Iraq for the oil should support producing our own.
We still, unfortunately, need oil. While Obama did approve drilling in some areas, some of the more fragile areas did remain protected. Also, the day after approving off-shore drilling in previously protected areas, his administration announced new targets for fuel efficiency in
cars, an increase of 30% by 2016. It looks like we're on track to lower our fuel consumption as a nation, but while we wean ourselves off oil, we still need to come from somewhere. Right now, that somewhere is off the East Coast and the coast of Alaska.
former, it's bad to drill because of pollution concerns and the destruction of plant and animal habitats. The Democrats demonize it because they need a platform—36 Senate seats and the House of Representatives are up for reelection later this year.
Before denouncing Obama's decision to allow off-shore drilling, a number of things must be taken into account. Number one? Reality. Anyone who ever takes a cab, a bus, drives a car, a motorcycle, or a lawnmower depends on oil. Where does oil come from? The ground. And
how does one get things that are underground? By drilling. Granted, the imagery of drilling itself seems evil. Picture this: a drill bit, two feet in diameter, with spiked revolving wheels
around its edge, specifically designed to pulverize dirt, rock, and anything else that is between it and oil. It's not pretty. BBC's "Planet Earth" has put images of beautiful nature, untouched by humans, on television screens across the globe. Oil rigs besmirch these beautiful panoramas.
No one is arguing that the machinery required for drilling and the way it impacts the environment is a good thing—things can go wrong. Harmful materials from the ground, oil spills, and toxic drilling fluid are all bad. Regulations have been implemented to minimize pollution from drilling as well as the possibility of oil spills. However, we (humans) have come to depend on oil. It is even necessary in order to deliver environmentally friendly organic produce to your favorite grocer.
Greenhouse gas emissions from burning petroleum products are causing global warming. Only those in denial are arguing otherwise, and we, as a nation—as a planet!—should switch to electric cars. But electric cars are expensive.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the United States consumes about 19.5 million barrels of petroleum products everyday, about 12 million more than our nearest competitor, China. 57 percent of the oil consumed by the U.S. is imported, 20 percent of that from Canada and 20 percent from the Middle East. Producing our own oil decreases our dependence on foreign countries, which is a good thing. Anyone who argued that we went to war in Iraq for the oil should support producing our own.
We still, unfortunately, need oil. While Obama did approve drilling in some areas, some of the more fragile areas did remain protected. Also, the day after approving off-shore drilling in previously protected areas, his administration announced new targets for fuel efficiency in
cars, an increase of 30% by 2016. It looks like we're on track to lower our fuel consumption as a nation, but while we wean ourselves off oil, we still need to come from somewhere. Right now, that somewhere is off the East Coast and the coast of Alaska.
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