Keep the Price of Oil Going Down, Down, Down

Isn’t it interesting how just a small drop in gasoline consumption – coupled with polls that show almost 60% of the American public favor greatly expanded drilling (and President Bush’s largely symbolic canceling of the existing executive order limiting drilling) – can cause such a large drop in the world market price of oil? Obviously the market-makers for petroleum think that America may, at long last, be starting to get serious about drilling our way out of our dependence on foreign countries that hate us. The price has dropped today to $126 from a high of $146.

I have been peppering my Congressmen, both in Florida and in Rhode Island, with e-mails and telephone calls urging them to get off their butts and pass legislation allowing drilling in Alaska, the Gulf of Mexico and off both continental shelves. In Alaska, not only is drilling for oil and gas prohibited in ANWR, but also in other promising areas of the state.

In the Gulf of Mexico, Cuba has contracts with Chinese and Indian companies to explore and eventually drill for oil in an area not far from Key West, Florida. They could tap an oil pool some geologists think could rival the Ghawar pool under the sand in Saudi Arabia. If we don’t get going, the Cubans could start taking huge amounts of oil from right under our noses using slant drilling techniques. If there is an oil spill near our shores, would you rather have a Chinese company or an American company responsible for the cleanup, and would you rather have a Chinese company or an American company taking steps to prevent it in the first place?

Unfortunately we are treated every day with a Democrat Congressperson or spinmeister coming on TV to repeat the mantra that Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi have ordered: “ we can’t drill our way out of this mess (they caused)”; “let the oil companies drill on the 68 million acres authorized (already explored - no oil there)”; “we need to develop alternative sources (not going to happen in our lifetimes)”.

The fellow with a 10,000 square foot house that consumes tons more energy than the average person, the fellow who flies around on his private jet and drives his huge SUV, continues also to regale us with the nonsense about man-made global warning – from which he makes millions from his books, movie, lectures and his carbon credits company. He says there is a consensus, and the argument is over. There is no consensus when the IPCC admits there has been no warming for the last ten years and none to come in the future. There is no consensus when corrected data puts the hottest year on record as 1934, instead of 1998. There is no consensus when thousands of scientists say there is no man-made global warming. There is no consensus when people realize that warming and cooling cycles have occurred naturally throughout history.

If you haven’t already, get on the phone and on your computer with messages to Congress and tell them to get serious about providing ample, cheap energy for Americans from American sources.