Sad Day

Oil Crazy

I can't believe that the idiots that represent us think that this is some kind of solution to our energy issues. Hitting consumers in the pocketbook with oil prices is supposed to create a desire to research and develop new energy options, not to start digging holes all over the US in hopes that oil might be under there. That is akin to a squirrel trying to find that one last acorn it knows is hid somewhere nearby but just can't remember exactly where, when its energy would be better spent in smarter storing to begin with.

Digging in Alaska's protected wildlife areas is going to do several things (even if it doesn't damage the fragile ecosystem and environment, which we know it will). This now opens up all protected areas to possible oil exploration (sorry, to that Florida congressman who thinks he just saved the Everglades). It is open season on natural wildlife preserves now. It tells all consumers that they don't need to conserve or recycle because we have lots of areas that haven't been utilized for oil, we can just move there next if Alaska doesn't pan out. It tells car manufacturers and other oil dependent industries that they don't have to spend millions on R&D for more fossil fuel economical products or get this, even fossil fuel independent products. It does possibly shorten the lifespan of the habitable environment on this planet for all of us.

What is doesn't do is fix the energy issues we have for the long term. Even if they do find oil, it isn't very much and does nothing to curb the dependency we have on petroleum products. One or two years of product (assuming there is even that much and it doesn't take us many years to process it) is not a solution. We have more oil than that in emergency reserves in underground tanks and you don't see them jumping on the band wagon to open that up to consumers.

What American needs is a few years of gas prices like Europe and Asia experience constantly, so we can all get our heads out of our asses. We need to focus on other options, and conservation. This means developing products across the board (not just the auto industry) that use less energy but still provide us with our desired result. It is possible to do. I have lived in places where their appliances and cars far outweigh our abilities on much less energy. It just takes the drive to do it, and looking for new oil in our own backyard is not the drive we need. We will end up learning this lesson the hard way and it will be too late to fix it by the time we realize it.