America Left Vulnerable with Bush Energy Policy

America Left Vulnerable with Bush Energy Policy

March 17, 2005

The Senate voted yesterday to allow drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) after staging a number of deceptive legislative maneuverings to insert the proposal into the federal budget.  Big oil companies and right-wing politicians have had their eyes set on this pristine land for a quarter century.  Although an overwhelming majority of Americans disapprove of drilling in the Arctic refuge, conservatives in the Senate and White House have paved the way for drilling in the near future. 

• The "centerpiece" of President Bush's energy policy will only accelerate America's dependence on foreign oil.  The United States Geological Service estimates the amount of technically recoverable and economically profitable oil from the refuge constitutes only one year of our nation's oil needs.  At the height of production, the Arctic refuge would produce at most 2 percent of daily consumption of oil, assuming we could find a way to get it processed in an efficient manner.  Rather than "solving" our energy needs, drilling in the refuge would be a dangerous distraction that would increase our dependence on foreign oil.
  
  
• It won't stop with the Arctic refuge:  right-wing ideologues and energy companies want to get their hands on the Rocky Mountains, the coast of California and the Gulf of Mexico.   According to Roll Call, House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) spoke in a closed door meeting about the "symbolism involved in opening up the refuge to drilling" as well as the precedent the move will set.  Once drilling in the refuge is opened, right-wing politicians are looking to open up other sensitive environmental lands in the Rockies and along the coasts.  Don't believe it?  See what happens when the moratorium on eastern Gulf drilling expires in 2007.
  
   
• Common sense solutions to our energy needs would not only lessen our dependence on foreign oil but would also create good paying jobs and help clean up our air. Simply updating fuel efficiency standards could individually save more oil than is likely to ever be found in the refuge. Investments in renewable energy and more efficient vehicles and products would drastically reduce our dependence on foreign oil. It's a win-win for business and the public – create profitable new energy ventures that produce jobs and protect our air and places like the Arctic refuge.

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