Boffo editorial in the Post today taking on some of the scurrilous charges the environmental lobby throws at the concept of increased offshore drilling. In addition to the generally favorable tone (toward drilling), two things caught my eye.
The first is the slavish adherence to the "No Drilling in ANWR" line. For some reason, this one has been bought hook, line and sinker by even thoughtful observers.
The second is the Post's depiction of the downside of increased drilling. The argument goes something like, if we increase drilling and take pressure off supply, prices will stabilize and then the pressure of higher prices will be gone....so then no one will do anything important to wean ourselves off of dependence on oil. I am sympathetic to some extent to this argument, and that is why I want ANY relaxed drilling to be embedded in a COMPREHENSIVE energy strategy that speaks to solar, wind, nuclear, biofuels, battery technology, hydrogen, compressed air.....you get the picture. COMPREHENSIVE.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
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4 comments:
I lean left of center, and I agree with you entirely on the matter of developing a comprehensive strategy that leaves room for drilling. We absolutely need to diversify our energy sourcing to relieve our exposure to the fluctuations of the oil market and slow our consumption of the commodity, but we're also never going to be able to go completely without oil as a resource, and it's in our interests for geopolitical reasons to develop our domestic production so we aren't totally reliant on foreign production.
Well said. Thanks for reading and writing!
Heh. You're probably not going to want to see me comment too frequently as I happen to work for the Democratic Party (though from a policy standpoint my views hew closer to Mark Warner's centrist brand with bits of Jim Webb populism mixed in--I am, after all, a Virginia Democrat). So I'm leaving every post that mentions an election alone. But since you also have a pragmatic streak in you regarding the actual policy, I think I'm going to enjoy coming here every once in a while to discuss things like this. :)
I welcome your input, and I'm sure I can learn a thing or two. Pipe up whenever you want!
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