We Can't Drill Our Way to Energy Independence
America is still addicted to oil, oil companies are drowning in record high profits, and average American families are feeling the pinch at the pump. At the same time the Bush administration and its allies in Congress are ignoring real energy solutions and instead they keep rolling out the same tired old ideas.
The oil companies and the "Drill it All" politicians have shown that no scam, scheme, or ploy is too cynical for them to consider. Last year, the pro-drilling forces in Congress attempted to hold the federal budget and funding for our troops overseas hostage. Then again last month Arctic drilling was going to pay for the ludicrous $100 gas rebate.
We can't drill our way to energy independence. Allowing drilling in our last protected wild areas, such as the Arctic Refuge, is nothing but another giant gift to oil companies that won't help bring down the price of gas, or end our dangerous oil addiction.
Arctic Drilling Won't Lower Prices at the Pump. Misplaced priorities have kept Congress from pursuing new, forward-looking energy policies for long enough. America has less than 3% of the world's proven oil reserves, but we account for 25% of the world's oil consumption. Even if we were to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Americans wouldn't see more than about a penny per gallon difference at the pump, twenty years.
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is too Precious to Lose. Some places should be off-limits to oil drilling and industrial development, and the Arctic Refuge is one of them. The harm to polar bear, caribou, millions of migratory birds, and to the subsistence way of life of the Gwich'in people would be permanent and irreparable. We have a moral responsibility to save wild places like the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for future generations. That's why our country has remained committed to its protection for nearly 50 years.
There are Cleaner, Cheaper, Safer and Smarter Energy Solutions That Safeguard Special Places Like the Arctic Refuge. Energy experts agree that the best ways to reduce our dependence on foreign oil are to make cars go further on a gallon of gas and invest in clean renewable forms of energy. Americans deserve a cheaper, quicker, safer and cleaner energy policy that safeguards the wild places we care so deeply about. We cannot drill our way to energy independence, but we can embrace responsible measures and real, 21st Century energy solutions that make cars go farther on a gallon of gas, promote conservation, invest in clean renewable energy like wind and solar, and protect our natural heritage.
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