OIL WRONG

Several times a week some wing-nut ideologue or other writes a letter to the editor blaming the current high price of gas on conservationists who have prevented drilling for oil in ANWR (Arctic National Wildlife Refuge). The fact that the prohibition against drilling there has been in place for 27 years under both Republican and Democratic Congresses and Presidents seems to aggravate them all the more. One local looney is advocating "civil disobedience" to force the government to change the law. This guy has the hutzpa to use Martin Luther King's demonstrations as an example of what could be accomplished. I'll lay any amount of money this ding-dong was calling Dr. King a communist agitator 40 years ago.

None of these conservatives says anything about conservation. Not one considers that every gallon of gas saved is another gallon we don't have to pay for. The lower the demand, the lower the price. That's basic economics. No, it is anathema to mention that. Our oilman VP thinks conservation is a "personal virtue," but not an issue for public policy.

About 40% of the vehicles at my apartment complex are gas-guzzling trucks, vans, or SUVs. I'm not against people owning these kinds of vehicles. Some people have large families, some need them for business, some need to carry a lot of equipment, some live in an area where the terrain requires bigger vehicles. But . . . just today I saw a woman drive her F-150 truck from the swimming pool to her apartment a few hundred yards away. During my walk to the grocery store (I walk, rather than drive), I carefully observed all the big vehicles that passed me. Eighty percent of them had only one person in them.

And of course, our current oilman president blustered and threatened to veto the law that requires average fleet standards of 31.5 mpg on vehicles by 2015. I read that he claimed that wasn't possible with our technology. Let's see. Back in 1933 Buckminster Fuller designed the Dymaxion car which could seat 11 people and got 30 mpg. You mean we haven't improved on that in the last 75 years?

One of the local talk-radio blabbermouths said it would be a wonderful for an expert from the petroleum industry to come on the air and explain why prices of gas are so high. There was a catch, however. There couldn't be anyone present to challenge what the expert said. Only one side would be presented because, of course, only one side is correct.

What don't the oilmen want people to know? Plenty. First, the ANWR can't be brought into production for at least 10 years, and even then, wouldn't reach peak production until 2027. What would that do to gas prices? Since production from ANWR would represent 1% - 2% of world production, the best estimate is that at peak production it would lower gas prices by $1.44 a barrel. That's a BARREL, not a gallon. That works out to less than 4¢ a gallon. The price of gas goes up more than that when some oil-trader sneezes.

How about the issue that we need oil self-sufficiency? Well, consider this. ANWR would produce on average about 1.2 million barrels of crude oil a day. Here's the dirty secret. The U.S. EXPORTS (that's exports as in sends to another country) just over 1 million barrels of crude a day. (I got that number from the CIA). We could gain almost as much self-sufficiency by not exporting oil as we could by drilling in ANWR. And the other dirty secret is that most of the leases the oil companies already hold on public land aren't in production. Congressman David Wu recently stated in congress: "Of the 42 million acres of Federal land currently leased by oil and gas companies, only about 12 million acres are actually being drilled to produce oil and natural gas."

The whole "Drill Here Now" campaign is smoke and mirrors. It's meant to distract people from the need for conservation and the development of alternative fuels. Every gallon of gas that isn't used is a gallon that the oil companies can't make a profit on. Any surprise we don't hear about conservation?

Oh well, enough ranting and raving for now. As you go on your life's journey, may a good part of it be on foot and on public transportation and in fuel-efficient vehicles. May the Lord bless you on your way and greet you on your arrival.

Wayne



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