Energy

Delivered today in Youngstown, Ohio.

We meet at a moment when this country is facing a set of challenges unlike any we’ve ever known. Right now, our brave men and women in uniform are fighting two different wars while terrorists plot their next attack. Our changing climate is putting our planet in peril and our security at risk. And our economy is in turmoil, with more and more of our families struggling with rising costs, falling incomes and lost jobs.

So we know that this election could be the most important of our lifetime. We know that the choices we make in November and over the next few years will shape the next decade, if not the century. And central to each of these challenges is the question of what we will do about our addiction to foreign oil. 

Without a doubt, this addiction is one of the most urgent threats we’ve ever faced – from the gas prices that are wiping out your paychecks and straining businesses, to the jobs that are disappearing from this state; from the instability and terror bred in the Middle East, to the rising oceans, record drought and spreading famine that could engulf our planet. 

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Posted By: Nick

 
There’s been a lot of buzz about T. Boone Pickens and his energy plan lately.  This is the man the funded the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth; his actions quite likely gave Bush his second term.  He’s a multi-billionaire, and an oilman.  And suddenly, over the last few weeks, he has become one of the loudest voices calling for the country to switch to renewable energy and get off of foreign oil.

His plan calls for a massive investment in wind and solar energy, and a switch to natural gas powered transportation.  In addition he wants the U.S. to build more nuclear power plants.  He stands to benefit from this plan as a major provider of natural gas, and as a new leader in wind power: he plans to build the largest wind farm in the world.

Still, despite his personal financial interests, he is right.  We need to make some real changes in our energy infrastructure.  His continued insistence that “we can’t drill our way out of” this problem is helpful to Democrats this year, many of whom are using that same line.

[youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=R2bOug1d20c]

The NYTimes has an Op-Ed up today with more detail on Pickens and his energy plan.

Posted By: Nick

 
Senator Diane Feinstain (D-CA) writes in the LATimes today about Offshore Drilling.  I find myself frequently disagreeing with Feinstein so it’s refreshing to have her on the right side of this issue.

There is no quick fix to $4.50-a-gallon gas, no way to provide instant relief to consumers we know are hurting. Yet President Bush and others continue to push the false promise of offshore oil drilling.

Just this week, the president lifted the executive order banning drilling that George H.W. Bush put in place in 1990. And he’s asked Congress to lift its own moratorium on oil exploration on the outer continental shelf — which includes coastal waters as close as three miles from shore.

This would be a terrible mistake. It would put our nation’s precious coastlines in jeopardy and wouldn’t begin to fix the underlying energy-supply problem. And it surely wouldn’t ease gas prices any time in the near future.

Correct so far.  Offshore Drilling is a Republican scam.  It’s a fake solution to the oil issue, designed to get easy votes.  Feinstein then points out the fun fact that many people aren’t aware of:

Meantime, energy companies haven’t fully utilized their existing permits to drill on another 68 million acres of federal lands and waters. Exploiting these areas probably could double U.S. oil production and increase natural gas production by 75%.

You see, the oil companies have access to millions of acres, but they don’t want to deal with them.  If they did, we’d have a substantial increase in oil production, even more than offshore drilling would provide.  Why aren’t they drilling where they have access already?

Feinstein points out the fundamental truth to our situation:

We cannot drill our way out of the energy problem. Our nation doesn’t need smooth talk and rosy scenarios. We need a clear-eyed view of our energy situation….

Changing our nation’s fuel consumption pattern is an enormous endeavor. It will take years. But this is the reality we face. And there’s no time to waste.

I’m glad she’s taking the lead on this issue and pushing for some real solutions instead of feel-good measures that will only worsen our situation in the long run.  Great job Senator Feinstein!

The following is the text of Al Gore’s major energy policy speech given on Thursday, July 17th, 2008.

There are times in the history of our nation when our very way of life depends upon dispelling illusions and awakening to the challenge of a present danger. In such moments, we are called upon to move quickly and boldly to shake off complacency, throw aside old habits and rise, clear-eyed and alert, to the necessity of big changes. Those who, for whatever reason, refuse to do their part must either be persuaded to join the effort or asked to step aside. This is such a moment.

The survival of the United States of America as we know it is at risk. And even more - if more should be required - the future of human civilization is at stake. I don’t remember a time in our country when so many things seemed to be going so wrong simultaneously. Our economy is in terrible shape and getting worse, gasoline prices are increasing dramatically, and so are electricity rates. Jobs are being outsourced. Home mortgages are in trouble. Banks, automobile companies and other institutions we depend upon are under growing pressure. Distinguished senior business leaders are telling us that this is just the beginning unless we find the courage to make some major changes quickly.

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Posted By: Nick

 
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger spoke some sense about energy and the environment this weekend, and I can’t imagine his party is very happy with him over this.  I have to give it to the guy, he does what he thinks is right, party politics be damned.  And on this issue, he is dead on.  We need to invest heavily in our energy future and we can’t be fooled by the lie that opening up drilling will have any real effect on oil prices.

[youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=ekYKugdd2J8]

First of all, let me tell you, anyone who tells you that drilling, nuclear power, alternative fuels, fuel cells, solar, all of those things will bring down the price right now is pulling wool over your eyes because we know that all of those will all take at least 10 years.

It’s refreshing to hear anyone speak truthfully about this issue.  We have no solution that will fix things tomorrow.  We’re going to have a tough time with oil prices for a few years or more.  That’s why we need to start addressing this problem right now.

Posted By: Nick

 
So Politico has this story up about how the Democrats in the Senate are just about ready to capitulate on offshore drilling.  This is so incredibly stupid on so many levels and serves as a good example of what’s wrong with the Democratic Party.  In my previous post I mentioned that we should cut Obama some slack for compromising here and there if it’ll get him elected.  I don’t want that to be confused with compromising EVERYWHERE and especially on issues like this that Democrats can win by taking the intelligent position.

Offshore drilling is bad policy:

The Environment: This is actually not the biggest reason that offshore drilling is dumb.  But it is a factor in the whole picture.  Oil spills are extremely harmful to the environment and very costly (both in terms of cleanup and in terms of lost tourism dollars for the affected areas).  While technology has improved and spills are less likely, the risk is still there, and the consequences are very harmful.  Oh, and don’t forget the whole global warming thing.  More oil means more warming.

Oil Prices: This is the big issue.  The argument is that if we increase the supply of oil (by drilling offshore), prices will go down.  Basic supply and demand.  Pretty simple logic right?  Except for the fact that drilling offshore will not lower oil prices.  Most estimates are that it will take anywhere from 10-20 years before any oil is coming in from new oil rigs.  In the meantime, we continue our current situation of ever-increasing oil prices.  Furthermore, the amount of oil that will be produced is such a minor increase in world supply that prices will barely change.  Basically it’ll save you a few cents/gallon for gas.  The whole issue is a Republican attempt to sell something that sounds great (More Oil!  Cheaper Gas!) to help their election chances.

Alternative (Green) Energy: Finally, increased oil production only serves to make us less likely to invest in alternative fuels.  None of us like paying $4/gallon for gas (it’s actually closer to $5/gallon here in CA), but the benefit of expensive oil is that it creates incentive to research and develop alternative energy sources.  If we drill offshore, drill in ANWR, convince OPEC to massively increase production, and somehow get oil prices back to a more reasonable level (not likely even if all of that occurs), then suddenly it’s not a good investment to spend money researching alternatives.  It merely prolongs our problem.

National Security: This is an issue that isn’t brought up as much as it should be.  Our military runs on oil.  Other than the nuclear reactors that power our submarines and aircraft carriers, pretty much anything else that moves, moves because of oil.  If oil runs out (or we can’t afford it), then we effectively have no military.  We need alternatives ASAP.  This is something that I would think both parties could understand and work to resolve, but few people are talking about it.

We need to break our addiction from oil and we need to do it now.  Drilling for oil offshore is not a solution, it’s a political stunt that will severely harm our nation in a number of ways.  Democrats need to take the lead on this issue; they need to explain why it’s bad policy, and then they need to offer a clear and intelligent energy plan as an alternative.  Democrats can win on this issue, but only if they have the courage to lead.

UPDATE: Speaker Pelosi does the right thing and strongly condemns Offshore Drilling.

“This call for drilling in areas that are protected is a hoax, it’s an absolute hoax on the part of the Republicans and this administration” Pelosi said at her weekly press conference. “It’s a decoy to punt your attention away from the fact that their policies have produced $4-a-gallon gasoline.”

Good to see someone in the Democratic Leadership taking the right position on this issue.  Too bad Harry Reid won’t do the same.