Drill Now!

This is in response to a letter in the Marietta Daily Journal on 7/16/2008. Ms. Susan Binns suggested that drilling offshore was not necessairly a good idea.

7/16/2008

Response to Ms. Susan Binns

I think the American public is getting just a little tired of the “Offshore Drilling Won’t Help” line.

Ms. Binns suggests that the only way offshore drilling would directly help is if America nationalizes the oil companies. The only person I have heard suggest that was a Democratic congressperson during the congressional grilling of the oil companies. Not a good idea.

Ms Binns, oil production and gas prices are complicated issues. Please tell me, however, how not drilling or taking any other action because it might not help for 10 years helps. If we sit around bemoaning the price of gas and waiting for some magic wand solution to the problem, it will never get fixed.

It would be wonderful if some terrific technology breakthrough occurs and the solar energy or wind energy or some other alternative technology suddenly is able to take care of all of out needs. It will do no one any good to sit around waiting for that to happen. Until then, we have to do something to improve the situation. Not necessarily fix it completely, but any step in that direction is a good idea.

If drilling will not add to our energy supply, why not? If none of the oil companies want the offshore leases then maybe the Democrats are right. I think that we cannot lose by increasing the worldwide supply. If you understand the law of supply and demand, increasing the supply cannot but help to lower the price. Maybe drilling offshore will not get us back to $2.00 gas but maybe it will improve our situation somewhat. No one is suggesting offshore drilling will fix all of our problems. It is a START!

Pursue conservation if you want. Most of us are learning to do that anyway. Waiting around for everyone to “carefully review the facts as presented by independent economists” is a receipt for another 10 years of no action. You are right. There is no simple solution in the offing. At $4.00+ for gas, a tipping point might have been reached that is causing most of us to change our driving habits. Not drilling or not improving the supply of oil is forcing major changes in this country and is severely injuring the “American way of life”. The public is getting increasingly vocal about making some attempt to help the situation where we can. Drill here. Drill now. Pay less.