Squeezing The Last Drop of Blood out of our Earth

It’s always been about exploiting the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge.

Since 2003, the President has eagerly pursued the opening of ANWR to oil exploration in his National Energy Policy.  Now in the waning days of his administration, President Bush is making a ‘full court press’ to open ANWR’s coastal plain for petroleum drilling.  Fortunately, over the last few years, Congress has largely managed to stave off these ecologically misguided efforts, and has effectively shielded ANWR against conservative plans to exploit the ecologically-rich, 19-million acre refuge in the high Arctic .

The President’s April 29th speech on domestic energy issues epitomizes the administration’s misguided approach to energy independence.  Even after acknowledging that the United States is “addicted to oil”, he continues to contend that the short-term answer to our emerging energy crisis, is to feed that ongoing addiction by exploiting the remaining reserves in North America and build more fossil fuel refineries – despite the potential ecological consequences to ANWR, and, not to mention, the accelerating impacts of continuing global CO2 emissions. 

That sort of logic is entirely counter-intuitive; it’s like supplying a drug addict with more heroin, while waiting for a private-sector rehab program to be established.  In the face of a potential global catastrophe, the President’s plans are simply a stalling tactic, designed to divert our attention from policies that are leading to the gradual collapse of our economy and our environment.

While the administration practices their ‘slight of hand’ tactics, our continued use of oil generates more greenhouse gases; efforts to adopt any substantive alternative energy technologies are delayed, while remaining fossil fuel resources are exploited and depleted, and food, transportation, and commodity prices increase, while the business of oil politics continue as usual.  Simply put, the oil barons get richer, as they squeeze every remaining drop of petroleum ‘blood’ out of our earth.

In fact, the administration’s desire to open up ANWR might very well be one major reason behind the increasing gas prices at the pump. It’s entirely possible that we’re experiencing the results of back-rrom collusion by industry officials and the administration: a tactic to pressure the public for more vocal support to open up ANWR.  After all, the report of record profits in the oil industry, along with the current difference in average per-gallon prices between the US ($3.57US) and Mexico ($2.58US), suggests that the industry does have a fair amount of latitude in petrol pricing.

As prices for a tank of petrol continue to climb, the administration and their corporate partners might believe that more voters will raise the call for lower commodity and fuel prices, and that many of these voters might temporarily abandon their reasonable environmental values, as the more pressing and basic needs for affordable food and transportation take precedence.

There’s a distinct possibility that this might indeed be the administration’s current strategy.

Whether some level of collusion does, or does not, exist, the President’s most recent speech signals a very misguided approach to energy independence.  Our goal, as a nation and leader, should be to quickly, and determinately, move away from fossil fuels, and toward alternative, sustainable, domestic energy sources. 

Any diversionary or impeding effort to delay our pursuit of clean, alternative energy technologies should be rejected – both by our elected leaders in Congress, and by the public.  The President’s continued efforts to promote oil exploration in ANWR will not serve to wean our nation from fossil fuel dependence, nor enhance our long-term national security, and it definitely will not encourage nor promote more ambitious research into the development of alternative energy technologies.

In order to maintain our sovereignty, and security as an energy-independent nation, promoting sustainable domestic energy technologies - while protecting ecological sensitive areas such as ANWR - should be our patriotic duty. We are obligated, as a nation and as individual voters, to remind our elected leaders of that duty whenever it appears necessary.

AMK - May 1, 2008