Memo to Bush: Don't drill offshore, invest in alternative energy

Bush making another move for the people he loves (the oil mongers)
And of course, MCneedsaCain is right on it.

"We need to end our addiction to oil - not continue to feed it. Attacking the supply won't bring down the price of oil, but attacking the demand will. We can make oil cheaper by using less of it through different sources of energy."

That is a great point. Looking for more supply just feeds the addiction.

You know when it was 7-12 years for us to feel the oil we'd get from drilling? When Clinton had the chance to say YES instead of NO.

We'd have that oil now.

Alternative energy is a fantasy when no one has done enough to ensure it's reliability and function. Oil is what the world works on. We should have already been drilling and getting oil. Getting it now will allow us to have time to figure out alternative ways that will work for America.

Ignoring that and just going for the alternative ways will send us further into the downward spiral we are already in.

Environmentalist live in some sort of fairy land where magic exist. Oil is organic too, you know. It's just not too pleasant. Let us not forget that everything we use comes from our plant. Nothing comes from somewhere else in outer space.

more oil is not the answer, it is the problem. we need to get off oil. there is not a magical supply of oil in the ground and we will run out. i mean our kids will run out

Remember when ethanol was an alternative fuel and was going to provide a hedge against high oil prices? What a distraction and a farce!!! Corn prices are through the roof, ethanol producers receive government aid, food and livestock prices inflated and now half the crop this year is under water. (literally!) The American public should be outraged with Congress's refusal to rationally move forward with off-shore oil exploration and call their congress-person to demand that they justify their salaries and lifetime health benefits, because the rest of us are getting screwed more and more every day!

Could someone please tell me what those alternaives are?
Look at ethanol. If we were to use all existing farmland to produce corn for ethanol it would only provide 20% of the fuel we need. Not to mention we would have to starve most of third world to do so.

I have heard that hemp is 3x more efficient in producing ethanol than corn but congress won't let that happen eventhough you would have to smoke a joint the size of a telephone pole to have any effect. Hemp for paper, cloth, and biofuels is not the same as marijuana! They are cousins with big differences and big benefits. They don't deplete the soil, all parts can be utilized, and they have nearly a 0 carbon footprint due to regrowth offsets.

Then look at hydrogen. Great idea! But one problem. Where do we get the energy to produce it? Iceland is using free energy from volcanic steam vents. But does the USA have such an option available? Calling all vulcanologists! Where are you?

Sadly in the shot term we do need more oil. Both parties have to be smart about this and realize that this is only a transitional solution while we find alternatives. Conservation and fuel efficiency will help but will not be the sole solution to the looming energy problem.

We need real solutions now! It's nice to dream of a "energy independent" future. But how is it going to be possible if we can't agree what that first step is.

It's easy to point the finger of blame. But the simple fact is that BOTH parties are at fault. None of them have ever produced a viable energy platform and the continued partisan bickering will make sure none is ever created.

Big Oil is constantly looking for ways to gain more access to protected areas. Bush represents them very well because his family is a big part of Big Oil.

There are several thousand drilling permits in this country that have not been executed and there are thousands of square miles in the Gulf of Mexico where drilling is permitted but Big Oil does not want the American public to know such things.

Because everyone is demanding relief from high pump prices Big Oil sees this as the perfect time to gain even more latitude for future exploits.

The only immediate solution is to reduce our daily dependance on petroleum-based products which include nearly all plastics, many cosmetics, cleaning solvents and many other things in addition to gas-guzzling SUVs.

Here we go again with our government looking for short term bad resolutions. There is limited oil and we still can not produce enough for our consumption. This "solution" will still feeding money to countries that hate us and use up a limited resource that we have and will need for the future. I say make electricty cheap and start having "plug-in" cars like Ford is proposing in it's Escape Hybrid. The first 40 miles is on electricity and then go to hybrid mode. We should start building nuclear power plants to make this happen along with some solar and wind. Nuclear is very safe and has come along way in the last 30 years since we built a nuclear power plant. Electric cars will reduce pollution as well and get us to stop using foreign oil. The independence for energy will also make our economy stronger and strengthen the US dollar. True long term independence is the only way our government should be thinking... We should be calling all of our congressmen and representatives to express this as well.

Last time I checked my 4 cylinder (30mpg) vehicle needs oil and runs on gas. I don't have $40,000 to buy the latest hybrid/hydrogen fuel cell vehicle that Honda or Toyota is willing to sell me.

I need unleaded gasoline! not solar, not electric not hydrogen or lp gas.

Oh and let's remember that all those people in China using oil are not going to have the funds to buy hybrids either.

So we cut usage, dream about alternatives and take a big hit in the wallets. Remember economics class - Supply and DEMAND? If we could double or quad the available oil and gas supply then prices have to drop. If we leave the oil supply in the ground, somewhere off-shore of the USA, then prices are only going higher.

Alternative modes of energy are fine for 10 years out but we're a stupid society if we can't think our way out of this mess and demand that our elected officials legislate a responsible energy policy that increases the US energy exploration and reduces our need for foreign supply.

Take a look at Brazil. Energy independent (sugarcane and oil) and sitting on billions of barrels of off-shore discovered oil!

And we thought the Brazilians could only play football, and export fruits and vegatables.

Wake up Congress!

You can't just go from A-Z, you have to take steps. Think about what you are saying before you make these fantasy wishes for technology that is not ready just yet. You have to fuel the Economy before you can just build new jobs and have alternatives available.

You know, I have solar power for my home, I have panels on my roof tops and I have tosay it was the best investment I've ever made.

The important part of the speech was the request to do away with the stupid regulations on increasing our refinery capacity. We could add another million gallons of gas and diesel to the market in 6 to 7 months if we increase the capacity levels. we are refining at max capacity and have no stock piles. Thank you very much Democrats!!

The intelligent solution to alcoholism is not to switch to cocain! But no wonder Bush doesn't see it that way.

If you're having a problem with Word 2008 you don't "fix it" by writting a DOS-based program using BASIC. We need 21st century solutions! Going backward isn't the answer.

Solar, wind and geothermal (and, yes, you can have geothermal right here in the US) are the energy solutions for the 21st century.

Every other industrialized country in the world is moving toward these 21st century solutions because: their cheaper in the long run, more dependable and have zero harmful emissions.

So what does Bush do?

He wants to invest BILLIONS of our tax dollars in technology from 1953!

My god this man is embarrassing. They are going to decertify the US back to a 2nd world country!

The rest of the world is buying iPhones and Bush is running up to us having just spent $800 Billion on pagers!

"See, if someone wants to contact you they will page you and then....and then you go and find a payphone and can call'em back! Talk about futuristic! Whoo-doggies! Wait till I saw Laura what I done just invested in. Pagers, man!"

God that man is an idiot.

If this keeps up we'll be too embarrassed to have foreign dignitaries come to America. If they did we'd probably get a check in the mail for a few million with a note saying, "Just a little something to help you get back on your feet."

Crumbling roads, broken levees, flooded cities, a rail system that makes Africa and India laugh at us, an energy policy that think mountain top removal coal mining is a "brilliant" long term solution....it's just embarrassing.

I think that we should use the oil reserves we already have leased. In the atlantic, american oil companies already have leases for drilling where there is oil. during the next 10-12 years while we have enough oil, we should create new ways to get ourselves off the stuff.

Why can't we do both?

just drive your SUVs and fast cars while you can. oil will run out some day so lets live it up what the hell! :)

Ok….I need to vent -- Asking Congress to drill in ANWR is absurd. Beyond the "save the caribou" mantra, opening an Alaska wildlife refuge to oil development would "only slightly reduce America's dependence on imports and would lower oil prices by less than 50 cents a barrel" that was in a statement released by the Energy Dept a few years ago. We would still be relying on imports for 2/3 of our oil. The bottom line is that the government needs to step up and support more alternative energy projects to get the US away from our reliance on oil (foreign or domestic) since the majority (meaning 99.9%) of smaller companies are scared of the price premium of going first…(high probability of mistakes and high upfront capital for new technology). I guess this is what we deserve for letting the wolf guard the hen house.

The same people with the same ideas expecting different results. Isn't that called insanity?
The democratic country of Costa Rica gets about 70% of it's power from lake Arenal and the remaining power comes from geothermal sources. There is a country in Europe that is completely off the grid from solar, wind, and geothermal cooling in the summer. So for someone to say "it's fantasy..." is just showing ignorance. "Oh solar power won't be enough...", of course it won't be right now. It would take wind, solar, geothermal, hydro, and even other forms to power a large country like the U.S., but to argue for oil is just absurd.

I agree.

we need to drill now just to show the world community tha we dont need their oil anymore it would be more of a message than a solution.

and for the get off oil bullshit, we cant right now im all for getting off oil but for the next 20 years we will not be able to. Imagine cutting off gas, every person who is not wealthy would be fucked. Can you imagaine telling people in the ghetto that they cant drive there 20 year old vehicle. The same people who cliam they are for the poor people are the same people who are trying to fuck them by getting off oil. You guys cant have your cake and eat it too. Which is it gonna be? Poor people or your precious environment

Poor people or the environment?

Same arguement was made when we banned DDT.

"But it will make food more expensive and that will hurt poor people....um, that is to say hurt them more than the cancerous tumors!"

Same arguement was made when we banned asbestos.

"This will make building materials more expensive and drive up housing costs....hurting poor people, er, that is to say hurt them more than the lung disease and birth defects."

Hell, the same arguement was made waaay back when we first tried to outlaw child labor!

"You can't make it illegal for a 5 year old to work 40 hrs a week! Many poor familes depend on the 15 cents a month that child earns! By refusing to allow 5 years to work you're only hurting poor people!"

And yet we did all those things despite the warnings that doing so would "hurt" poor people.

And here we are again.

"You can't switch to a cleaner, more stable form of energy! Doing so would only....."

We know how the rest of it goes.

I believe the oil people are the ones living in fantasy land. They believe they can continue on the same course, and everything will be just fine.

Hydrogen.

We should investigate sources of "etheroil". It just comes from the air with no carbon footprint or extraction cost!!! You guys have watched too much of the "Golden Compass", to understand energy production. Every and I mean, EVERY, source of energy has it's drawbacks. It is an immutable law of physics.

i have an idea, bush always seems to do the opposite of what is right, how bout a lil reverso psycrillagry or what ever ya call it he he he he. eh?

Sorry guys but this world still runs on oil.
The US needs to make an important decision: either we invest in alternative fuel or choose offshore drilling to wean ourselves off of it in a timely manner. What happens if we invest in alternative fuel and it doesnt work? Or we dont have an idea on how to correctly solve it? Then what? Drill for oil? But to bad or us because China is taking our oil in our own waters.

I'm not opposed to alternative fuels. But we need to use our own resources now. Even if we were to start drilling today for oil, the oil speculators who have caused this problem will start getting nervous because with the potential for more oil entering the market, the price will go back down where it belongs. The reason liberals can't see this is because they've been lulled to sleep by environmental terrorists that keep saying that drilling for oil is a bad thing. It's time for liberals to wake up and smell what they've been shoveling for the last 30 years. They are why we are in this mess, it's their fault and until they are forced from power their stupid little pro-environment antics will continue.

Global warming is a hoax. Drill here, drill now, save money...and find a way to make cars run on water and exhaust sunshine instead of blowing sunshine up everyone's butt.

It seems that current tv is getting hit by right wing propaganda again. Yes from the evidence I have researched, drilling more is a scam by the right-wing. The environment has nothing to do with it. If they really wanted to drill, they would have done it already. Currently, the oil corporations have decided not to drill on 75% of 68 million acres of US gov land (src: C-SPAN Dems). In addition, there are more acres of private land that has been capped (src: Thom Hartmann Show 06/18). There are billions of barrels of oil sitting in the ground that oil companies have authority to drill, but ignore (src: Sen. Boxer). Remember, these same right wingers said that Iraq was going to attack the US with (imaginary) WMD.

I'm not buying it.

This is an obvious attempt to take advantage of American famlies' emotions over fuel cost.

This same tactic had everyone up in arms and ready to support the Iraq War.

tomofnorthcal: I hate to burst your bubble, but the reason the oil companies aren't drilling is because all the liberals in Congress are beholding to the environmentalists who cry and whine everytime someone wants to sink another oil well somewhere. Environmentalists appeal to people's emotions by holding up pictures of polar bear cubs and saying stupid things like: "Do you really want to kill off little Luka here?" It's a pathetic move, but even more pathetic is that liberal law makers have bought into it and have passed these bans. Remember, Boxer is a socialist, just like Pelosi and Reid and all those other liberals up there who would rather let Mexico drill in America's territorial waters in the Pacific and then sell our own oil back to us!

Why do I have to be right about these things? Stupid prophetic visions of the future...

decarson, I'd rather see people fighting for the environment than watch greedy oil mongers profit and destroy it.

By the way:

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Dick Cheney's office acknowledged on Thursday that he was mistaken when he asserted that China, at Cuba's behest, is drilling for oil in waters 60 miles from the Florida coast.

Full story at http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2008-06-12-chen...

Here we go a summery yes we do need oil and gas is but a small percentage of our oil consumption: think plastics, solvents, paints, pesticides and those stupid plastic shopping bags not to mention energy to make all this crap. yea its one more ploy to go for the easy oil (most of the resources left on the planet are hard to extract hence more costly) any of the above can be made from any source of oil (remember the diesel engine was originally des