Gregory D.

Lee

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July 21, 2008

Domestic Oil Drilling: The Ball Is Now In Congress’s Court

Last week, President George W. Bush lifted the executive order that banned offshore drilling. "With this action, the executive branch's restrictions on this exploration have been cleared away," the president said. "This means that the only thing standing between the American people and these vast oil resources is action from the U.S. Congress." Then he added: "Now the ball is squarely in Congress' court." In the next three trading sessions, the price for a barrel of oil fell over $15.00. Can you hear the Democrats whining yet?

The president finally stepped up to the plate and removed the second-to-the-last obstacle in the way of allowing oil companies to recover the oil from the massive fields that line our shores and elsewhere. The last obstacle is the political will of the Democrats in Congress. They seem hell-bent on obstructing the development of our natural gas and oil resources to reduce our dependency on foreign oil. They insist that conservation and the development of alternate forms of energy is the only way to be energy-independent. That’s a noble goal, but as usual, liberals are incredibly short-sighted.

Everyone agrees that this country is addicted to oil. President Bush said exactly that during a State of the Union speech early in his presidency. Liberals, as well as conservatives, would like nothing better than to see alternative means of producing energy take root in this country. But until that day comes, possibly 40 or more years from now, this country must continue to use oil to fuel our vehicles, allow our economy to expand and maintain our standard of living. Naive Democrats never consider that there must be a transition period of when America is weaned off oil while these new technologies take root, rather than being cut off like an addict from his heroin supply.

Wind power would be great, if wind blew all the time, and windmills didn’t kill endangered birds and weren’t such an eyesore. Just ask Sen. Ted Kennedy.

Solar energy sounds good too, except that the sun doesn’t shine 24 hours a day and solar panels don’t look good on an English Tudor style house. Not to mention that they’re expensive.

Hydrogen is promising, but with few refueling stations, these cars are limited as to where they can operate.

Battery operated vehicles work well – if you can afford the higher price and the electricity costs, and don’t mind the limited miles you can drive in between charges.

Democrats point out that oil companies already have millions of acres of leased lands where they have not yet drilled. What they forget to tell you is that oil is limited or non-existent on many of these lands. In the past, nobody really cared if oil companies found oil or not. There was always cheap foreign oil that could be imported. Well, all that changed with $4-a-gallon gasoline.

Nuclear power is the most promising existing technology for electrical generation. But because liberal environmentalists have successfully fought off any new plants, it will take time to build the 40 or more new ones this country needs. This misguided bunch breaks out in a sweat when they hear the word “nuclear.” They would like you to believe that a nuclear power plant accident could cause a Hiroshima-style explosion, or that the facility will somehow melt down and give you a fatal dose of radiation poisoning. With today’s technology, neither event is possible.

Even if drilling took place and we had an unlimited supply of domestic crude, it wouldn’t create a larger supply of gasoline without a proportionate amount of additional refineries. Liberal environmentalists have succeeded in blocking the expansion of refineries around the country as well.

No matter what side you take in the debate, it is now up to Congress to make its move. If it fails to act, and continues to block additional drilling, OPEC will view this as weakness on our part, and oil prices will rise again. If Congress allows immediate drilling, and OPEC and the world see America’s firm commitment to drill and make serious efforts to develop alternative energy, oil prices will collapse and the price of gasoline will plummet.

The only question now is: Will the Democrats demonstrate the political will to give Americans the relief they seek from high gasoline prices, or will they risk being replaced this November by candidates who will not hesitate to do the right thing?

Gregory D. Lee is a nationally syndicated columnist who can be reached through is website: www.gregorydlee.com.     

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