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Carl Samuelson : Guest
columnist
The Herald-Sun
Sep 18, 2008
Drill, baby, drill has echoed from the Excel Center in St. Paul all the way
to the chambers of Congress, and big oil is dancing a gleeful jig to this new
hit tune. Thanks to a flood of sparkling, clean-looking advertisements
promoting off-shore drilling as a crystal clean savior to $4 dollar-a-gallon
gas, big oil stands poised to jump on a new opportunity to buy up coastal
waters and pocket a pretty profit.
But big oil's bottom line is the only thing that stands to gain from
increased off-shore drilling. Our tourist economy sure does not. In North
Carolina, the Outer Banks alone draws over 5 million tourists a year, fueling
a rapidly growing sector worth $390 billion nationwide. The potential of a
catastrophic oil spill devastating tourism ought to be reason alone to steer
clear of new oil exploration.
But even small, regular leaks can insidiously damage coast line, biological
diversity, and water quality -- releasing toxins such as benzene, arsenic,
mercury and lead. Even the sound waves from specialized air guns that are
used in oil exploration can kill whales and rupture the swim bladders of
fish.
Worse yet, these renewed demands for drilling don't address the problem. We
need solutions to high gas prices that will actually save consumers money in
the short- and long-term (drilling won't have any effect on gas prices until
2030, and even that impact will be "insignificant" according to
Bush's Energy Information Administration).
Drilling is an Industrial Revolution-era solution to a 21st century problem.
Rather, we need to a shift to clean, homegrown, renewable energy and sound
public policy. In fact, the relatively moderate increase in fuel efficiency,
to 35 mpg fleet-wide, that Congress passed last year will on average save
consumers the equivalent of a dollar per gallon at the pump.
And don't be deceived into thinking that someday the perfect technology will
descend from the sky and we can wait until then to kick our oil addiction.
The technology is here, but it isn't very flashy. It's insulation in our
homes and office spaces. It's energy-efficient lighting and thermostats with
timers. It's high-efficiency water heaters, refrigerators, and washing
machines. All of these exist today, and combined with other building
efficiency measures, we could reduce demand for energy by 11 percent
nationwide and create millions of jobs, giving people the money the need to
make ends meet.
We don't have to sacrifice costal heath for energy independence. Clean energy
solutions are waiting to be grabbed up. Efficiency measures have been around
for decades. Implementing those ideas will spur our economy forward, creating
good local jobs and kicking our bad oil habit. Investment in wind and solar
have an equally high potential for creating economic growth. The bottom line
is that Americans need to be able to afford daily life, and despite Big Oil's
clever propaganda, drilling just doesn't do the trick.
The solution to our energy crisis is not more padding in the pockets of Big
Oil. America's energy solution lies in efficiency and clean energy jobs for
out of work Americans, an open market that accounts for the real cost of
carbon, and leadership in Congress that doesn't kowtow to the demands of a
"well-oiled" marketing machine.
Carl Samuelson is an organizer with Environment North Carolina, a group that
works to protect clean air, clean water and open space.
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