Does Palin have it right??? Drill, baby, drill…

Does Palin have it right???  Drill, baby, drill…

With gas prices on the rise again, talk of tapping the US oil reserve has been mentioned as a possibility to help curb increasing prices.  However that is treating the symptoms not the illness itself. The White House has not, to date, openly discussed allowing an expansion of oil drilling. This decision could led to serious problems for America especially with the recent unrest in the Middle East.  Because of the amount of oil we import from the Middle East our gas prices are directly affected by events occurring overseas,  it is mainly this reason that Republican leadership and others have consistently lobbied for the expansion of domestic oil production.  Any time the US is dependant on another country for resources that are vital to our way of life it places America in a jeopardized position.  Politicians reference this topic whenever they discuss our “national security” in reference to oil production. 

Now environmentalist and its lobbies have a laundry list of reasons why an expansion of oil production will or could have detrimental effects on the environment; some of which are completely legitimate concerns.  (I have decided to speak in broader strokes for this post, so I will not list specifically pro or cons).  However many of those concerns are future environmental issues which MAY arise based on current data in a projected simulation, and while those issues for tomorrow are serious, there are issues today which warrant action.  Many politically moderate “green” organizations are seeking increased safety regulations and oversight for oil companies and their drill platforms in the wake of the BP oil spill in the Gulf.  Crude oil may not be the fuel of tomorrow, but it is the fuel of TODAY. Renewable fuels are simply not prepared to take on America’s massive energy needs.  However investment in renewable fuels is critically important both for the increase of efficiency and the possibilities of their applications.

This desire for increased domestic oil production and safety regulation, from the respective sides, creates the perfect climate for compromise.  Why not quid pro quo, allow the expansion of domestic oil production for increased safety regulation.  Job creation, increased domestic oil production, less foreign oil, more energy independence, lower gas prices… the benefits from expanded oil production tempered with the safety and oversight needed to ensure it’s done securely without traumatic environmental consequences.   Maybe there is something I am missing but it sounds like everyone wins here in the end…….Safely DRILL, baby, Safely DRILL.

UPDATE 3/31/2011: President Obama's Energy Plan (Full Speech)

Please read this article on Factcheck.org. http://factcheck.org/2011/03/is-obama-to-blame-for-4-gasoline/
Here are just some of the points that stood out to me:

· Assessing the numbers in a variety of ways, the US imports LESS foreign oil today than it did it 2008! Yes LESS foreign oil!

Top Republicans blame President Obama’s moratorium on deepwater drilling for rising gasoline prices. The moratorium delayed drilling of some new wells, but did not affect the output of wells already in production. A projected drop in total domestic oil production this year should amount to six-tenths of 1 percent of all U.S. consumption of liquid fuels. A Wall Street oil analyst told us the moratorium has had "zero" effect on prices.

Sarah Palin said Obama is "allowing America to remain increasingly dependent on imports" from unstable countries. But there has been a decline — not an increase — in total oil imports from Middle Eastern and African countries, as well as countries identified by the State Department as "dangerous or unstable," since Obama took office.

Obama said domestic oil production last year was its highest since 2003. That’s true — but U.S. oil production is projected to drop this year.

On imports, Palin claimed in that same March 15 Facebook post that the administration’s inaction on drilling permits is "allowing America to remain increasingly dependent on imports from foreign regimes in dangerously unstable parts of the world." There is no question that the U.S. for a long time has relied on importing oil from dangerously unstable parts of the world. But has Obama allowed us to become "increasingly dependent"? No.