Going green is a great concept, but you can't force the country into being more environmentally responsible on the back of a fragile and recovering economy. The President's "green initiatives" have delayed nearly all permits for drilling in the gulf and has severely impaired domestic oil exploration. We could have nearly 800 million barrels of oil in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming alone, not to mention what is just waiting in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The delays on new drilling have also caused many American's to lose out on jobs related to drilling, refining and shipping oil.
We definitely need to work towards a more environmentally friendly energy policy, but we need to work it in slowly and at a realistic pace. We need to lessen our foreign dependency on oil by bulstering our ability to utilize our domestic resources.
I'm not saying that Obama is a complete and utter failure, but his energy policy doesn't seem to be working out.
Do we really need to call in the big guns?
What do you think? What's the answer?
I think.....I want a milkshake
ReplyDeleteI even want them to freakin' drill our own oil...then again, I drive...
ReplyDeleteoh snap
Here comes the comment from maybe the one guy that you know that works in the oil and gas industry, AND, knows something about the geology and economics of oil.
ReplyDeleteI will say that the only reason that I didn't want to see Obama in the WH was because of his energy policy. It just didn't seem realistic given the situation the country was in after Captain America left.
I am all for doing things green. I'm pissed that we don't have recycling in my new big office. However, I do agree with ya Ace, ya gotta do it within reason, not in one fail swoop. The country hasn't got the infrastructure to pull off that big of a change. Hell, we don't have the money to even think about it (possible govt shutdowns anyone??).
I know I work for the natural gas industry now, and am slightly partial to keeping my own job, but this is seriously a good step forward. Let's go with something we have a lot of control over, remove a little more of that foreign influence, and begin a steady transition into a more green society.
The one thing we need to all think about, though, is how is the rest of the WORLD going to follow us, or will they? Will India and China (1 billion people each) go along with the idea of being green, or will they say "Fuck It, we want Nike shoes, flat screen TVs, and air conditioning".
The next few years may have a big influence on our future, maybe moreso than ever before (or at least within our lifetime).
The Cap'n!
Maybe part of refining our energy policy should be looking into the companies drilling. If they would be held responsible by Obama (and citizens) for protecting the environment as much as possible while drilling, and for being a driving force for other energy sources and not just domestic oil, then maybe idealists on both sides could be appeased.
ReplyDeleteTechnology evolves through necessity. If gas is cheap, no one gives a crap about alternative fuels, at least not enough to actually change their life-style. If gas gets expensive, alternatives are more appealing. The more the demand for that alternative, the more they make and hopefully, the cheaper it becomes(could work the other way though I suppose). Sucks for our generation, but if we don't choke, maybe our children or their children will live in a cleaner world...or blow it up. Either way, I can't stand people that own a 4x4 and use it for groceries! *narrowseyes* I know you're out there!
ReplyDelete@ Julie B...As an employee of a natural gas company, we are held to very high standard. We have to report anything (even fresh drinking water) that gets spilled on our site. We have plastic liners under our rigs, nearly hourly inspections by the rig supervisors, and surprise inspections by the Arkansas Dept. of Environmental Quality (ADEQ)(local governing body). This doesn't include our own policies and procedures which are far more strict than the govt. has imposed. We try to report all of our problems before they ADEQ even knows that there was a problem. After that, there is still the EPA and all of the Clean Air and Clean Water restrictions. We couldn't be more responsible for our drilling actions.
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