Drill, BP, Drill!

McCain and Palin say we should DRILL, BABY, DRILL (and use nuclear

energy and solar and wind energy) and – did we mention? – DRILL, BABY, DRILL.

McCain and Palin say we should DRILL, BABY, DRILL (and use nuclear
energy and solar and wind energy) and – did we mention? – DRILL, BABY, DRILL. 

It’s a strange turn of events for the Republicans. The written McCain plan for energy independence (called the Lexington Project) is actually not that bad, but the newly discovered DRILL, BABY, DRILL plan for energy independence is not only an appalling example of infantile simplicity, but also completely incoherent.  

The DRILL, BABY, DRILL energy plan goes something like this…  The reason gas is so expensive these days and the reason that the middle east is so scary are actually one and the same: lack of drilling. Our problems, economic and national security, all stem from the fact that liberals won’t let the oil companies drill for oil, even though holy-moly-big-amounts of oil are just ripe for the taking. We would never have to buy oil from scary people in foreign countries (or pay more than $1.25 for a gallon of gas) if only the liberals would back off and let the oil companies quickly slip their big straws into the supple earth and just suck out the endless supply of oil that is sloshing around beneath our feet. Moreover, nuclear energy is completely without drawbacks but those darn liberals are against that too. Oh yah, and wind turbines and solar panels are cool too, if you’re into that sort of thing. So in summary, DRILL, BABY, DRILL!

The problems with the DRILL, BABY, DRILL plan are numerous. But since large crowds of people seem to be unaware of these problems, let me just mention a few.

1) The primary reason gas is so expensive is because oil companies are charging a LOT for gas. The problem is NOT a shortage of oil. Oil production has been increasing, not decreasing. The fact is, oil companies (like every other company) are out to maximize their profits. They don’t need to charge this much, but as long as Americans are willing to pay it, oil companies are willing to bring home record-breaking windfall profits.
 
2) Because the US doesn’t have a nationalized oil production system, we aren’t entitled to any of those profits. The only way American citizens benefit from more oil is if we tax the oil companies for their windfall profits. Obama supports such windfall taxes while McCain prefers to give oil companies more tax breaks.

3) Oil companies could be drilling offshore right now. No one is stopping them. In fact, large parts of the Gulf of Mexico have been opened for oil drilling, but oil companies have not jumped on the opportunity. They have explained their lack of interest as a realistic skepticism that there is anything worth drilling there. “We,” the American people or the American government, can’t just decide to drill. We can only hope that BP decides to drill. (Making “Drill, BP, Drill” a much more realistic slogan.)

4) Even if we completely opened the Arctic Refuge to drilling, oil companies wouldn’t come up with enough oil to dramatically affect oil prices. The US Energy Information Agency has said that drilling in the arctic would reduce gas prices by – at most – a few cents per gallon. And that assumes that other oil producers don’t respond to the increase in production in the Arctic by decreasing their own production in order to keep prices high.

5) The cost of drilling is no small matter. Drilling causes pollution, destroys the natural beauty of our coastlines, interrupts the fragile habitats of many species, and interrupts the economic vitality of the fishing and tourism industries.

Moreover, even if drilling were 100% safe and clean, and even if everyday Americans (instead of a oil execs and investors) stood to benefit from drilling, and even if we found twice as much oil as geologists think is available and oil companies actually extracted every ounce of it….   At the end of the day, we have to remind ourselves that oil is not a renewable source of energy. The most that drilling can hope to provide us is a delay of the inevitable.

Although our culture says that we DESERVE more oil – and cheap oil at that – and that we want it regardless of what it takes to get it, I’m tempted to think that maybe our love of oil has become idolatrous. Seem excessive? I think not. When a desire becomes so all-consuming that we are willing to hurt one another or hurt God’s creation to satiate that desire, that desire is idolatrous. We must cut it out.

Even non-theists should agree. Our country is in trouble when we are willing to sacrifice our air quality, water quality, and economic health for a few more gallons of cheap gas.  

When we compare the energy plans of the presidential candidates, we should not be looking at which plan has the catchiest slogan.  We should be asking which plan best cares for creation, and the health and well-being of humanity. Evangelical Christians, Catholics, and Mainline Protestants may not agree on everything, but we agree that we are to serve as stewards of God’s creation. We agree that doing what is required will sometimes require great sacrifice. We agree that our faith often demands that we stand in opposition to cultural norms rather than be conformed to them.

So ask me to stand in opposition to the American addiction to oil. You can start by asking me to inflate my tires, but don’t stop there. Ask me to buy a hybrid or a bike. Ask me to walk to work or carpool with my neighbor. Ask me to put a wind turbine in MY backyard. Ask every church, home, and business in America to install geothermal heating and solar panels. Ask the automotive industry to improve fuel economy. Ask Congress to tax the oil companies’ windfall profits.

Can you imagine it? Can you imagine a leader who instead of making empty promises or chanting infantile slogans would instead ask us to do our part? A leader who is willing to tell individuals and corporations alike that we must do better so that our country can be better? Can you imagine?