During the local weather reporting of the current path of Hurricane Dolly, it is being universally reported that oil drilling platforms in the Gulf of Mexico are not at risk because only 25% have been reconstructed after the destruction of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. HUH?
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In the intervening 3 years, is anyone asking why existing platforms were not replaced?
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And then I flipped to CSPAN to watch Republicans in the House extol the virtues of drilling anywhere and everywhere to reduce gas costs, ignoring reality.
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When T. Boone Pickens, a multi-billionaire oilman, tells you that there is no evidence of oil deposits the size that are proclaimed, and experts tell you that oil from new leases won't hit your local gas station for 10 or 20 years, what are we willing to accept? And of the + 5,000 existing oil leases, why is no drilling currently being done?
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If we reduce our consumption by 20-30% that seems easily achievable and follow the Pickens' Plan, the targets are attainable. (10% of the reduction should be easily achievable by reducing lighting costs with CFLs.)
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Maybe it's time for some real leadership not beholden to Big Energy, that actually represents Americans and sensible solutions. And maybe it's time for each of us to research the rhetoric and be less willing to accept propaganda.
2 comments:
This makes me so angry ... I'm just spitting mad! If folks were serious, maybe we would see clothes lines all over. It's been a pretty dry July, clothes dry in no time, even if you have to put them in the dryer to take out the last dampness, that's $20 off the bill. It helps reduce AC costs. And maybe we need someone in Washington to say 'hang out your clothes' for people to get it.
You keep saying Americans are 5% of the world's population and use 25% of the world's oil. T. Boone Pickens said Americans are 4% of the world's population. You should correct your posts.
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