If the nation's oil companies are having trouble getting more crude out of existing fields, perhaps the solution is to put rigs in Yellowstone National Park.
"Green" environmentalists may be in for bad days. According to The Wall Street Journal, "Increasing U.S. oil production would require overturning decades-old moratoriums that limit offshore drilling and accelerating leasing of federal lands." It may come down to whether eagles and black bears mind oil exploration in the regions where they live.
Forest animals may not care, and that could be the crux of the argument. Although oil spills are not unheard of, they have become exceedingly rare. Bringing out oil from protected land may have very little environmental risk.
In some ways, opening restricted land may be the only way to save lower class and some middle class Americans from gas and oil prices so high that their spending ability is being crushed.
What black bear would want to see that happen?
Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
5-23-2008 @ 10:00AM
Charles Ferrin said...
It is ridiculous to continue to talk about drilling in protected areas as if that will solve any problems. We can not drill ourselves out of this mess.
We need dramatically improved efficiencies and alternative sources.
5-23-2008 @ 10:37AM
Ed said...
Untill we have alternant source of fuel we have at least another 15 years of depending on oil we have to drill for oil and build more refineries we have to tap into nat gas we are fast becoming a third world country and the 60's thinking of our congres has got to stop
5-23-2008 @ 2:49PM
Doyle said...
Yes we can drill ourselves out of this mess that has been going on for YEARS. The argument on ANWAR used to be it would take 10 years for it to start paying off. Well it has been 10 years. We are the only country in the world being held by enviormentalists on energy. As far as products like ethanol, how do you like the price of food nowadays. And it will get higher as well as oil. BUILD THE REFINERIES. You could pay $12.00 a gallon if we don't.
5-23-2008 @ 2:58PM
Rick said...
Drill Baby! Drill!
5-23-2008 @ 6:21PM
KEN said...
WHAT GOOD IS IT TO DRILL. WHEN YOU HAVE NO REFINERIES TO STORE IT. THE OIL COMPANIES HAVE NOT BUILT A NEW REFINERY, SINCE 1976, AND THOSE THAT ARE OUT THERE NOW ARE OUTDATED.
THE OIL COMPANIES KEEP ON SAYING, SUPPLY AND DEMAND ARE CAUSING THE PRICE OF GAS TO GO UP. SEEMS TO ME THE OIL COMPANIES JUST WANT TO KEEP ON RANKING IN THE INFLATED PRICES, THAT THEY ARE CAUSING