-Caveat Lector-
Legislative Lowdown
U.S. Energy Policy Threatens Our Security
by Mike Franc
Posted Apr 28, 2006
Story Options
Text Size: S M L
printer-friendly
email to a friend
respond to this article
Related Stories
Fiscal Conservatives Have Upper Hand in Fight Over 'Emergency' Spending
Bill
Immigration Plan Overlooks Budget
Illegal Immigrants Follow the Money
GOP Moderates, Conservatives Clash
Its easy to identify the roots of our dysfunctional national energy
policy. Knee-jerk environmentalism, not in my backyard parochialism, or
the ferocious zeal of entrenched special interests repeatedly combine to
block good ideas or promote bad ones.
The route to true energy independence will require simultaneous progress
on many fronts, none of which is by itself a silver bullet. Sadly,
Congress has considered and thus far rejected many sensible proposals
that, had they prevailed, would have improved our energy situation
significantly.
Examples include our unwillingness to recover the billions of barrels of
oil and equivalent amounts of natural gas from the remote, desert-like
tundra of Arctic Alaska and the waters under the Gulf of Mexico and along
both coasts.
Meanwhile, our government refuses to build the next generation of clean
nuclear power plants and cant even find the political will to open a safe
repository to store nuclear waste.
Finally, there are the impregnable environmental bottlenecks that have
created artificial shortages of gasoline in many parts of the country,
prevented the construction of new oil refineries and limited our use of
the vast quantities of domestic coal.
Perhaps the ultimate example of the Lilliputians' prevailing in the energy
wars can be seen in the local opposition to an innovative plan to
construct 130 windmills in Nantucket Sound. This wind farm would provide
75 percent of the power required for all the homes and businesses on Cape
Cod and the elite playgrounds of Nantucket and Marthas Vineyard.
Remarkably, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the environmentalist nephew of Sen.
Edward Kennedy, objects to the plan, ostensibly because the spinning
blades on the windmills might kill some migrating seabirds and threaten
the livelihoods of a few fishermen. The real reason that Kennedy and his
uncle object to the plan -- and have successfully inserted language to bar
the project in legislation reauthorizing the Coast Guard -- was dryly
summed up by the Congressional Quarterly: The windmills, CQ noted, would
become part of the vista from the Kennedy familys Hyannisport compound.
Can you say NIMBY?
Environmentalists have mastered the art of energy obstructionism. But what
if a new political dynamic emerged that could tip the balance in favor of
the quest for energy independence?
A recent poll offers lawmakers a glimpse of how they might transcend the
decades-old tension between energy and environmental concerns. Virtually
all Americans surveyed (90 percent), reports Daniel Yankelovich, the
chairman of the polling group Public Agenda, said they see the United
States lack of energy independence as jeopardizing the countrys security.
Indeed, Yankelovich found that, when asked about a variety of proposals
relating to national security, reducing energy dependence ranked second
only to improving the effectiveness of our intelligence operations. Noting
a surge of concern on this issue, Yankelovich believes energy independence
has reached a political tipping point. Americans are unlikely to tolerate
the political gridlock any longer, Yankelovich concludes, because they now
believe the government could take steps to decrease our reliance on
foreign sources of energy.
Enter Sen. Larry Craig (R.-Idaho), who last week offered his colleagues a
sobering assessment of how this new dynamic might work. According to
Craig, in February 2005 the U.S. Geological Survey reported on a possible
deposit in the North Cuban Basin [50 to 60 miles off the Florida coast]
estimated at 4.6 billion barrels of oil, and possibly as much as 9.3
billion barrels. Not surprisingly, over the last two years Cuba has filled
the vacuum created by the Clinton-era moratorium on offshore drilling in
these waters by contracting with the Peoples Republic of China to recover
this valuable resource.
The American public, Craig asserted, would be shocked, as this country is
trying to reduce its dependency on Middle East oil, that countries such as
China are realizing this energy resource. China, he continued, is using
the area off our coastas a strategic commodity reserve and thereby forever
closing the door on those resources to the United States itself.
Stand on a high place in the lower Florida Keys, he concluded, and
[someday] you may see an oil rig, and it will not be ours. It could be Red
Chinasand they are drilling in our backyard.
Kudos are in order to Craig for breathing new life into the debate over
the off-shore drilling moratorium. Lets hope his revelations create the
momentum required to break at least one of these seemingly unending
battles to liberate our economy from dependence on oil from unstable and
hostile nations in the Middle East and elsewhere.
Mr. Franc, who has held a number of positions on Capitol Hill, is vice
president of Government Relations at The Heritage Foundation. To send a
question or comment to Mike Franc, email him at: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Remember:More people have died in Ted Kennedy's car than have died in
United States Commercial Nuclear Power plant operations
visit my web site at
http://www.info-quest.org
Visit my energy page at http://www.info-quest.org/Energy.html
Check out the latest on the anwr drilling project http://www.anwr.org
visit my blog at
http://info-spectrum.blogspot.com
My ICQ# is 79071904
See the Pledge of alleginace to the flag that the 9th circuit court of
appeals doesn't want you to say.
for a precise list of the powers of the Federal Government linkto:
http://www.info-quest.org/Enumerated.html
www.ctrl.org
DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER
==========
CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic
screeds are unwelcomed. Substanceânot soap-boxingâplease! These are
sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'âwith its many half-truths, mis-
directions and outright fraudsâis used politically by different groups with
major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought.
That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and
always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no
credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply.
Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector.
========================================================================
Archives Available at:
http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/
<A HREF="http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/";>ctrl</A>
========================================================================
To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email:
SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email:
SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Om
