Democrats Choose Politics Over Production in Offshore Drilling

Once again, Democrats showed that they value political appearance over actual accomplishment.

Politics Over Production
In a transparent attempt to proclaim to the American people that they are "doing something" to end our foreign oil dependence, Democrats in Congress passed a bill that claims to allow off-shore drilling, but which actually extends the ban on offshore drilling within fifty miles of shore. These are the areas where energy experts say 80-90% of the oil is and which, in some locations, can be brought to market much sooner than the deeper reserves further offshore, some as quickly as one year from the start of drilling. The ban on offshore drilling is costing Americans jobs, money, and, worst of all, security.

The Job Cost
Americans are currently buying millions of gallons of oil from offshore reserves. Unfortunately those reserves are off the coast of Mexico and other nations and employ foreign workers, not Americans. Allowing environmentally friendly drilling in all offshore reserves, not just the small portion of reserves the Democrats want to allow, will provide thousands of jobs for Americans and boost the economies of coastal states.

The Financial Cost
Controlling over 30% of American crude oil sources, the OPEC cartel* has a direct impact on the price we pay for gas and other crude oil products. As a recent example, on September 8, the average price of a gallon of gasoline in the United States was $3.65. OPEC cut production targets on September 10. By September 15, the average price of gasoline in the America had risen to $3.86, an increase of 21 cents per gallon. While there were certainly other factors that impacted this price increase, including hurricane Ike in the Gulf of Mexico, American reliance on OPEC oil means that you spend more money on gas and and less on everything else.

The Security Cost
As the major source of energy for Western nations, oil is the fuel of capitalism and democracy. We put ourselves in a tenuous position when such a large portion of our energy comes from nations who are, at best, minimally friendly (Saudi Arabia) and, at worst, openly hostile to America (Iran, Venezuela, et. al.). We have enough oil off our coasts to substantially reduce our dependence on foreign oil while we seek new energy sources. The Energy Information Administration estimates that American offshore oil reserves could produce 5.6 million barrels of oil per day. In July 2008 we imported 5.5 million barrels per day from OPEC nations. You do the math.

Our Choice Is Now
Regardless of your view on "alternative energy" it is naive to think that we can transition to them any time soon. We cannot fuel the American economy on the wind, the sun, and the rain. We need oil and we will need it for many years. For the foreseeable future, our choice is not between oil and alternative fuels. It is a choice between American oil and OPEC oil.

*In the referenced page on oil imports, the OPEC nations are Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Nigeria, Iraq, Angola, Algeria, Ecuador, and Kuwait.