Wake Up, The Answer is Not More Oil

As I blogged about this weekend, Senate Conservatives blocked consideration of the most aggressive, bipartisan, and comprehensive global climate change legislation to date. Republicans employed parliamentary tactics to stall consideration of the Climate Security Act despite the bill enjoying support from 54 Senators. We should all be outraged that Conservatives continue to value bottom line profits over the need to save our planet. While its disappointing that the bill failed, there is reason to be optimistic: only 3 years ago climate change legislation could only garner 38 votes - No doubt a result of increased awareness of global warming, pressure from constituents as gas prices rise, and of course there are 6 more Democrats in the Senate today than 3 years ago.

The above mentioned bill focuses on investing in renewable resources and ending our addiction and dependence to the carbon emitting fossil fuels, which pollute our air, warm our globe and alter our weather patterns. These policies and solutions are part of the Progressive Agenda. It is important for everyone to understand the Republicans' plan for reducing gas prices (The Conservative Agenda). Rather than focus our energy, effort and resources on mobilizing the US to find strong alternatives to oil, President Bush urged Congress today to lift the ban on offshore oil drilling, a move that was echoed by Republican Presidential Candidate John McCain. This follows Bush's push to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, where an estimated 10 billion barrels of oil lie. A solution that according to the Department of Energy analysis, would reduce the cost of a barrel of oil by 75 cents., 17 years from now.

There are an estimated 18 billion barrels of oil available in off-shore drilling areas. But people understand that, in an area devoid of the appropriate infrastructure, it takes a long, long time to build the derricks that would line our shores, along with the pipelines to reach land and the refineries to process the oil. And people also understand that the type of production McCain and Bush are talking about is a drop in the bucket -- or a drop in the barrel -- compared to what this nation consumes. They may sell it as immediate relief at the pump, but what they're talking about is really a decade or more down the road and would amount to maybe a few pennies in savings, according to the Energy Information Administration. The combined effect of ending the ban on drilling in Alaska and off-shore sites would be a $2.25 reduction in the cost of a barrel of oil (currently at $130 a barrel) 17 years from now. President Bush and Sen. McCain's solution to ending high gas prices is to pump more oil that will be available 10-20 years from now. Oh and get this, this plan is seen as a pragmatic, short-term solution to high energy costs.

The problem with this plan is two-fold. First, it does nothing to lower gas prices, as it will take years for the oil to hit the market. This is a fact obviously overlooked by McCain, as he pointed out that opening off-shore drilling sites would be a pragmatic, short-term solution. What is he thinking? Second, this solution doesn't address the real problem: Our addiction to oil. We need to end our addiction to oil - not find more ways to feed it. There is not enough oil in America or the world to solve our energy problems. Energy transformation is the key. The answer is in alternative, renewable energy sources, which are so much better for our environment. This approach will be challenging at first. But long-term, it will end our dependence on foreign oil, cleanse our atmosphere from global warming polluting carbon, and create millions of new jobs.

McCain continues to show his lack of leadership and ideas when it comes to protecting the environment, ending our addiction to oil and investing in alternative energy. The Democrats have put forward an aggressive plan to invest in renewable resources, but the GOP has done nothing. It is going to take a lot of sacrifice to change our energy dependence. It is going to take bold leadership and we can not afford to wait any longer. The religious community needs to become the tipping point on this issue and demand change on this critical issue. All of this is now within our grasp if we make the deeply biblical commitment to be good stewards of God's creation.