To Drill or Not to Drill for Oil
Ever since White House press secretary, Dana Perino, walked out on Monday (July 14th, 2008) to tell reporters that President Bush was calling for congress to lift the ban on offshore drilling, a lot of questions and thoughts have begun to surface.
What is our future in gas prices if we continue to be dependent on foreign oil? What are the ultimate consequence of offshore drilling in the US? Where do things stand on finding another fuel source for transportation now that oil drilling has come back into our lives?
Not all that long ago, Senator John McCain was offering a $300 million taxpayer-funded cash prize to to the first inventor/researchers who could come up with the most advanced hybrid/battery technology. “A small price to pay for helping to break the back of our oil dependency,” said McCain, who also proposed to have a $5,000 tax credit for zero-emission vehicles.
Next thing we know, McCain jumps on the oil bandwagon along with President Bush and we’re talking about dropping the offshore drilling ban and digging up a storm around the coastal shelves to reduce the gas drain on the American pocket book.
This ban has been in place for over 18 years, approaching the 20th anniversary of the devastating Exxon Valdez oil spill. But perhaps it is our only alternative at this point. Indeed this action may bring some much needed relief at the pumps, while also reducing some of our dependency for foreign oil.
Is this however just putting a bandaid on the real problem at hand? Putting off the search for alternative fuel for another 40 years until our next crisis? Or is this a savvy move by the republican party to show a brand new hand to the voters, just in time for the election.
Yes, we know that a lot of people are criticizing the drilling action, saying that the Republicans have just handed the presidency over to the Democrats. But have they really? Are they really that crazy… or perhaps more like crazy like a fox?
Meanwhile on the Democratic front, Obama has come back stating that we shouldn’t need to offer a reward as incentive to find the best hybrid, “put a bounty out for some rocket scientist to win.” Instead we should count on the good old fashioned “ingenuity and innovation of the American people” to find a solution to the fuel dilemma.
But how does he feel about oil drilling in our coastal regions? It’s “dangerous and deceptive” is about all we have heard over at the Obama headquarters…
Something tells us that this story has only just begun. Stay tuned…
