Saving The Planet By Destroying It
Charles Krauthammer looks at Nancy Pelosi's attempts to "save the planet" (her words) and the absolute absurdity of her position. He is suitably unimpressed by what Pelosi's policies are doing to the United States - and to the planet.
Consider: 25 years ago, nearly 60 percent of U.S. petroleum was produced domestically. Today it's 25 percent. From its peak in 1970, U.S. production has declined a staggering 47 percent. The world consumes 86 million barrels a day, the United States, roughly 20 million. We need the stuff to run our cars and planes and economy. Where does it come from?
Places such as Nigeria, where chronic corruption, environmental neglect and the resulting unrest and instability lead to pipeline explosions, oil spills and illegal siphoning by the poverty-stricken population — which leads to more spills and explosions. Just this week, two Royal Dutch Shell pipelines had to be shut down because bombings by local militants were causing leaks into the ground.
Compare the Niger Delta to the Gulf of Mexico, where deep-sea U.S. oil rigs withstood Hurricanes Katrina and Rita without a single undersea well suffering a significant spill.
The United States has the highest technology to ensure the safest drilling. Today, directional drilling — essentially drilling down, then sideways — allows access to oil that in 1970 would have required a surface footprint more than three times as large. Additionally, the United States has one of the most extensive and least corrupt regulatory systems on the planet.
Does Pelosi imagine that with so much of America declared off-limits, the planet is less injured as drilling shifts to Kazakhstan and Venezuela and Equatorial Guinea? That Russia will be more environmentally scrupulous than we in drilling in its Arctic?
The net environmental effect of Pelosi's no-drilling willfulness is negative. Outsourcing U.S. oil production does nothing to lessen worldwide environmental despoliation. It simply exports it to more corrupt, less efficient, more unstable parts of the world — thereby increasing net planetary damage.
But the refusal to consider lifting the drilling ban has more to do with protecting Pelosi's Democrats than with saving the planet. Pelosi is trying desperately to keep her party from having to vote on drilling. But refusing to take action is the same as voting against drilling. That hammer will be applied - excuse the term - liberally by the Republicans in the run-up to the elections.
Democrats are wont to howl against the export of American jobs. But they appear to be in favor of exporting the entire economy of this nation - leaving nothing behind for Americans.
Uncategorized | Gaius Friday, 1 August , 2008
By syn, Friday, 1 August , 2008 @ 6:34 am
How much pain will Americans endure before they understand Madam Pelosi is a sadist?
Let’s hope the Center gets their act together soon since this election will be determined by the moderate, independent voter who will decide whether America gets more sadism or not. I don’t know why it is so hard for them to make up their minds, on the other hand, perhaps moderates enjoy the masochism.
By Ted Goldman, Friday, 1 August , 2008 @ 10:00 am
Does this country need Democratic Socialists led by Pelosi, Reid, and the non-entity, BHO?
By Mockinbird, Friday, 1 August , 2008 @ 12:34 pm
The woman is a menace. She should be duct taped up and thrown in Gator pond.
By sam, Friday, 1 August , 2008 @ 1:01 pm
I was thinking more about just voting her out of office.
By feeblemind, Friday, 1 August , 2008 @ 5:40 pm
We can only hope the Repubs hammer the Dems on the drilling issue. The repubs should also point out the dems refusal to drill and build refineries here and resulting high prices is an attack on the poor, who must spend a much higher percentage of their paycheck for fuel. The poor. The very people the dems purport to look out for. OTOH, why in Hades haven’t the Repubs been full court pressing the issue for years? There is plenty of blame to go around here. Maybe the repubs are finally waking up.
By K T Cat, Friday, 1 August , 2008 @ 6:47 pm
It’s not pollution if it happens somewhere else.
By Tom, Saturday, 2 August , 2008 @ 8:22 am
The Dems are out for one thing - power. They will do that by blaming the Republicans for their own shortcomings. It’s just politics as usual with the average citizen taking the brunt.Not that I think that the Republicans are any better…