THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, USA
An Online Journal of Political Commentary & Analysis
Volume XII, Issue # 95, June 6, 2010
Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr., Editor
Government Committed to & Acting in Accord with Conservative Principles
Ensures a Nation's Strength, Progress, & Prosperity
OIL ADDICTION LIES
By Alan Caruba
MODERN SOCIETY, THE AMERICAN ECONOMY, & U.S. ENERGY POLICY -- CARBON-BASED FUELS & THE LIES AMERICANS
ARE BEING FORCE-FED BY ENVIRONMENTALISTS & POLITICIANS: ATMOSPHERIC CARBON DIOXIDE, MAN-MADE
GLOBAL WARMING, ADDICTION TO OIL & OTHER HYDROCARBON FUELS, & GREEN ENERGY IN THE FORMS OF SOLAR &
WIND POWER -- THE REALITY WE MUST FACE: THE ABSENCE OF ANY VIABLE OR SENSIBLE SUBSTITUTES FOR OIL,
COAL, & NATURAL GAS AS SOURCES OF THE ENERGY REQUIRED FOR MODERN ECONOMIC & SOCIAL LIFE
FULL STORY:
Next to the huge international hoax about global warming, allegedly caused by carbon dioxide, the biggest lie being told
to Americans these days is that we are “addicted” to oil and that we must convert our economy and society away from
its use.
The first time I recall hearing this was during George W. Bush’s 2006 State of the Union Speech and, frankly, I was
astounded to hear it from the son of a former President who made his fortune in oil. The latest to repeat the lie is
President Barack Hussein Obama, but he is allied with environmentalist organizations that are anti-energy, no matter
what form it takes.
Americans and everyone else around the world are not “addicted” to oil or other forms of energy sources such as coal
and natural gas. These energy sources are used to maintain and enhance modern life.
Data from 2006 makes it abundantly clear that 85.5% of the electricity we use comes from carbon-based fuels. Nuclear
and hydroelectric energy add over 20% of the rest. All that magical “clean” energy, solar and wind, provides 3% or less
of the electricity the nation requires.
Robert Bryce, an editor of Energy Tribune and author of several books on energy, says:
“The simple unavoidable truth is that we humans cannot
[and] will not quit using oil. If oil did not exist, we’d have
to invent it. No other substance can compare to oil in
terms of energy density, flexibility, cost, and
convenience."
“About 95% of the world’s transportation fuel comes from oil,” notes Bryce. “Thus, without oil, there is no commerce.”
No commerce, no world economy.
Americans are being force-fed lies about energy and the worst of them are about “clean energy research and
development.” There are no viable or sensible substitutes for oil, coal, and natural gas.
According to an October 28, 2009, report by the Congressional Research Service,
“U.S. proven reserves of oil total 21.3 billion barrels and
reserves of natural gas are 237.7 trillion cubic feet.
Undiscovered technically recoverable oil in the United
States is 145.4 billion barrels, and undiscovered
technically recoverable natural gas is 1.162.7 trillion
cubic feet. The demonstrated reserve base for coal is
489 billion short tons, of which 262 billion short tons
are considered technically recoverable.”
So why has the Obama administration announced a shutdown of the auctioning of oil leases? Why have several
administrations refused to allow access to the oil beneath the Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Reserve or the potentially
vast offshore Alaskan reserves?
If the ban on offshore drilling for oil and natural gas on 85% of the U.S. offshore regions is maintained, the nation will
be forced to rely on foreign sources, many of whom are unfriendly, even hostile.
Think about this. Beneath a 1.5 million acre tract on the North Slope of Alaska there are an estimated three to nine
billion barrels of recoverable oil. In 1987, the U.S. Department of Interior recommended development. There has been
none because a succession of Congresses has refused to allow drilling on what would amount to a postage-size part
of the vast Coastal Plain.
The U.S. must import the vast percentage of the oil we require, some 60%, and yet Americans are being denied the
right to access, extract, refine, and use the oil we have or to look for more. Oil companies are routinely demonized,
despite the billions they must spend in exploration, extraction, and refining.
Are we that stupid?
Meanwhile, U.S. Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid, is promising to bring to a vote in July, 2010, the Cap-and-Trade
bill, an energy tax bill now called a “climate” bill. Studies suggest its passage would destroy more than two million
jobs nationwide.
One analysis projected that the Cap-and-Trade bill would reduce gross domestic product (GDP) by $9.4 trillion over
the next 25 years. The U.S. doesn’t have 25 years. Our current national debt is $13 trillion and our GDP is $12.9
trillion. Do the math!
Likewise, raising taxes on oil and natural gas companies would reduce the amount of private capital available for
vitally needed investments to access our energy resources.
The big, awful oil and natural gas industry has already invested $58.4 billion to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,
and there is no need to reduce carbon dioxide. It plays no role whatever in a global warming that is NOT happening.
The Earth has been cooling for a decade. Significantly, an increase in carbon dioxide would yield more crops and
healthier expanded forests.
Finally, let’s get a grip on reality. As bad as the leak has become, there is just one oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico
leaking oil. It’s out there because environmentalists and government policies have forced oil companies to explore
and drill in hazardous places.
The rest of the rigs, several hundreds, are still safely pumping oil. The BP Deepwater Horizon rig will be capped
eventually. That problem will end. The spilled oil will be worked on by the forces of nature, dispersing and
evaporating it. In five years, just like the Valdez spill, there will be no evidence of the spill.
The real “addiction” that threatens the United States is a Congress that will not stop borrowing and spending an
unsustainable amount of money on programs that should have been abandoned or adjusted years ago.
© Alan Caruba, 2010
LINKS TO RELATED TOPICS:
Political Environmentalism Versus Human Progress & Prosperity:
Policy Issues Relating to Energy, Environment,
& Natural Resources
The Earth's Natural History, Global Climate Changes,
& the Future of Human Life & Civilization on the Planet:
Science, Ideology, & Public Policy
Political Economy -- Philosophies, Systems, & Public Policies:
Government, the Economy, & Economic Prosperity
Alan Caruba writes a daily post at http://factsnotfantasy.blogspot.com. An author and a business and science writer,
he is the Founder of the National Anxiety Center, a clearinghouse for information about “scare campaigns” designed
to influence public opinion and public policy.
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THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, USA
An Online Journal of Political Commentary & Analysis
Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr., Editor
Conservative & Free-Market Analysis of Government, Politics & Public Policy, Covering Political, Legal, Constitutional, Economic,
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Conservative Government Ensures a Nation's Strength, Progress, & Prosperity