Published: July 18, 2008 08:42 pm         

FLASHPOINT: The truth about oil drilling: No quick or easy fix

There have been a lot of letters recently from readers who are rightfully concerned about the outrageous price of gas. Many of these letters offer important ideas to tackle the energy crisis, but some — including one printed on July 17 — are aimed at making this a political issue and misrepresenting my position to the public. I hope this letter will help set the record straight for readers.

The truth is, it wasn’t one person or party that got us into this energy crisis, and blaming each other isn’t going to get us out. There are no quick and easy fixes to the challenge we’re facing, and anyone who tells you otherwise is looking for votes, not solutions. What we need is an honest, factual discussion about our options for increasing America’s short- and long-term energy security, so I want to share some information that should be part of the discussion.

The focus of the day is on opening the entire Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) in Alaska to drilling. Some folks claim current restrictions in these areas are the only thing standing in the way between consumers and cheaper gas. It’s a quick and easy fix, they say.

But here are some of the things they don’t tell you. First, millions of acres of the OCS have already been opened up for leasing and domestic exploration, but in many cases, the oil companies have chosen not to significantly increase their production there. Instead they are buying up leases to these lands, but not drilling.

Second, there’s nothing quick about domestic drilling. Even if the drilling moratorium was lifted tomorrow and the oil companies chose to drill in the remaining areas, most experts believe it would be decades before consumers could see some relief. That relief would be minimal at best — about 75 cents per barrel, which is less than 4 cents per gallon at the pump — and the savings aren’t guaranteed to be passed along to consumers.

I support domestic drilling as part of our energy solution, but we’ve got to be smart about it. The oil companies should start by using the 68 million acres of federal land they already have under lease before asking us for more. It appears to be the greed of big oil companies and the political calculations of some politicians that are driving these proposals, not the best interests of families and small businesses.

In the end, drilling alone will not solve our problem. The reason is simple: there is a finite amount of oil and ever-increasing competition with other countries for these resources. Without also addressing and significantly reducing our demand for oil, we will be back in this same situation down the road, but without any oil reserves of our own to fall back on.

Looking toward the long term, we need to take this crisis and turn it into an opportunity to reduce our dependence on oil — foreign and domestic. That means getting smart about our consumption and increasing efficiency in our automobiles, homes and businesses. It also means taking the billions of our tax dollars that are currently being given away to oil companies, who are already making record profits, and investing them in the research and development of alternative energy sources instead.

I wish I had more space to go into these ideas in-depth here because they are a critical part of the discussion. But I encourage you to visit your Eighth District Online Office (www.ellsworth.house.gov) to learn more and share your thoughts and ideas.

Solving our nation’s energy crisis is going to be a long-term commitment, but it’s one we’ve got to make to ensure America will always have the resources we need to fuel this great country.



Rep. Ellsworth is serving his first term in Congress. He is a resident of Evansville.