A Little [Un]Common Sense

Got an e-mail from my good buddy Mark Green (nice name), who's running for Gov of this fair state. Seems he's had to mount an ANWR defense for his campaign because of some awful things the Dems are saying about him.

It comes on the heels of Green's vote in favor of “The American-Made Energy and Good Jobs Act,” which would open up ANWR.

People, please. Are we so argued out on our "hot" issues - right to life, government spending and control, evolution, Kerry's/Bush's service record, etc. ad nauseum - that ANWR is something you can whisper in the halls that someone supports and they're instantly the devil in Karl Lagerfeld?

From the press release, with my comments:

With gas prices hovering around $3 a gallon, it is time for this country to have an honest discussion about energy exploration in ANWR.

Claim: Opening ANWR does nothing to lessen our dependence on foreign oil. It only represents a mere six-month U.S. supply of oil.

Fact: ANWR could increase America’s total proven oil reserves by 50 percent. It could produce nearly 1.5 million barrels a day or more, everyday for roughly 30 years. This would replace roughly 30 years of Saudi Arabian oil imports – significantly reducing America’s dependence on Middle Eastern oil.

Claim: Opening ANWR has no benefit to the United States.

Fact: ANWR is critical to America’s energy security, and an important step toward reducing our dependence on foreign oil. ANWR is also projected to create 250,000 to 1,000,000 jobs and generate $111 billion to $173 billion in royalties.

Let's look at both sides: Facts are funny things, meaning you won't know how much we'll get from ANWR until you tap that thing. Nonetheless, common sense says that if you get enough to fill the trucks you hauled up there and a little to spare, it's still worth it. Because We Must Get Off Foreign Oil. Now. Which means we have to find it in our own back yards. Now. Because only an idiot would let a case of NIMBYism stop oil drilling while we remain dependent on the stuff.

Claim: Energy exploration and production would devastate the environment.

According to the Clinton Administration’s 1999 report, “Environmental Benefits of Advanced Oil and Gas Exploration and Production Technology,” we can produce oil in the arctic safely. Since this report, Congress has further limited the scope of domestic energy production in ANWR to 2,000 of ANWR’s 19.6 million total acres – or 0.01 percent of ANWR’s land base. For comparison, if the front page of the New York Times were to represent the size of ANWR, the area designated for exploration and production would be equivalent to the size of the letter “A.”

Production in ANWR would also require the most stringent environmental controls available – significantly reducing any environmental impact.

You know what? Spare me the catchy "comparisons."

Common sense might note that while people campaign to save this glorious paradise thousands of miles away, old people in the Gulf Coast, Chicago, New York and other places that get above 90 degrees in the summer die every year because they can't afford air conditioning. But hey, they're old and they apparently didn't plan well enough, so what do you care?

Common sense might also note that the reason we're having this conversation is because you do care. Just not about people.

Do not get me started on the soft bigotry of allowing oil production to continue in that vast not-so-empty stretch of sand called the Middle East. If living with oil derricks is okay for them, it had better be okay for you. I don't like the prospect either, and I've spent time in places where there's an oil pump in people's yards. But I set the thermostat to cool or heat the house at a lower temp while I'm gone, get in my minivan every day and go about my business like everyone else.

So, if you oppose exploration and drilling in ANWR, stop kvetching and realize what it means to you directly and personally:

Stop using gas right now. Never fill up your car again, or your lawn mower, or your weed whacker, or your minibike or your snowmobile or your - fill in the blank.

And turn off everything in your house at the main breaker until you confirm that your electricity is generated by coal, geothermal, solar, wind, or happy thoughts. Be sure to confirm that your provider doesn't buy any energy from secondary sources that use petroleum products.

Then come back, and we'll talk about every other product in your life that uses petroleum.

I'll share a teaser on that last one: Step away from your keyboard until you can get one made from hemp. You'll want to step far enough away to be off your carpet or linoleum.

CP @ GMC.