Bush to lift offshore drilling ban

[blewgrass]

Drilling now is a mistake. Conservation and new technology will serve to reduce demand just as well. We can keep this oil for reserves in case things get much worse. To me it's amazing and very arrogant that the people in power are still resisting conservation as an energy strategy.

Natural gas is much more abundant in this country. How about powering vehicles with natural gas? There are many answers right at our doorstep that are inconvenient to politicians that are receiving millions from big oil. Can't help but wonder what the trillion dollars we spent destroying the land between the rivers could have been used for if we dare to look at that.

[Martin2]

Are you suggesting politicians think for themselves and consider the consequences of their decisions? Crazy!

[cgvmer]

So a decision now to drill will NOT help the current situation. (caused by your choice: increased demand or speculator driven prices) and in the long run have the chance to destroy already sensitive habitats.

The current pricing makes researching and developing alternative energy sources economically feasible.

The good part of this survey shows the majority of the people do not believe this is a good idea, (combine all but the first answer into one answer)

[rumblefish]

The only way to end our foreign dependence of oil is to end our dependence on oil. Alternative energy programs have always been placed on the backburner. Too much big business and $$$ involved to have some other form of energy threaten the gravy train I guess.

Now people may claim that alternative energy is way to inefficient to fill our needs, however, technology has a way of developing quickly if the proper money and emphasis is placed upon it. Just think where we would be now if we had really made research into alternative energies a priority back in the 70's.

[ReefHound]

Where would we be? Europe was dealing with $5 gas 20 years ago. So with all that incentive how much progress did they make? Sure their cars average 40mpg to our 25mpg but that's hardly earth shattering. It's not like they are driving around cars that run on water getting an effective 200mpg. It's not like they are lighting their homes with windmills and solar panels.

[georoc01]

Originally Posted by blewgrass

Drilling now is a mistake. Conservation and new technology will serve to reduce demand just as well. We can keep this oil for reserves in case things get much worse. To me it's amazing and very arrogant that the people in power are still resisting conservation as an energy strategy.

Natural gas is much more abundant in this country. How about powering vehicles with natural gas? There are many answers right at our doorstep that are inconvenient to politicians that are receiving millions from big oil. Can't help but wonder what the trillion dollars we spent destroying the land between the rivers could have been used for if we dare to look at that.

But if you wait until it gets much worse, then are you are still 3-5 years from having meaningful production. If you at least get started now, you will have something in your back pocked that will reduce the speculation and ability to at least maintain the status quo while working on alternatives.

[SlvrDragon50]

The 200 mpg cars come out 2009 and 2010...and you know who developed it? Volkswagen.. A European company.

[ReefHound]

I'll believe it when I see it.

[OH-JJ]

Originally Posted by cgvmer

So a decision now to drill will NOT help the current situation. (caused by your choice: increased demand or speculator driven prices) and in the long run have the chance to destroy already sensitive habitats.

The current pricing makes researching and developing alternative energy sources economically feasible.

The good part of this survey shows the majority of the people do not believe this is a good idea, (combine all but the first answer into one answer)

Ahh you have shown the problem with your logic.... The numbers lie. if you look at who oppose the drilling in the poll, you will see that there were alot of people that voted multiple times. thus making the results invalid. if you throw out the multiple votes. you will see that most are infavor of drilling.

[cgvmer]

Originally Posted by ReefHound

Europe was dealing with $5 gas 20 years ago.- It's not like they are lighting their homes with windmills and solar panels.

The $5 gallon gasoline in Europe include 60% taxation, since all road development was paid from this.

No but France is the largest user of Nuclear energy in the world, and alternative energy production IS higher in most of Europe especially Germany.


The US built and economy on cheap oil. By most estimates the world has passed the point of peak oil production, which we chose not to plan for. Combine that with a VERY weak dollar (something to do with the steadily increasing US debt from spending on an ill-conceived war), and we have a recipe for an economic disaster. We can't drill our way out of this, we need to move to alternate forms of energy consumption.