If we drilled for oil in Alaska, what would it look like..??
Would it be so hideous that wild animals would hate us? Creatures big and small would pack their bags and leave America?
Or worse yet…
Would wild animals in Alaska- immediately start dropping dead from the site of an oil rig..??
What would drilling for oil in Alaska look like..??
I can't really show you a picture of what drilling in ANWR would look like. The technology proposed for this drilling is unique. Partly because of the temperature of the region, but also for preservation, the actual oil extraction equipment would be underground and NOT seen by humans. (Or animals)
If a person happened to be walking in ANWR, the only thing one might see is a cement pad that covers the oil extraction equipment.
I can, however, show you what oil drilling looks like today.
But first…
Here in Pennsylvania a few years ago, we decided to "try" and become energy independent. (a noble, but almost unreachable goal.) But we are trying..!!
We have tons of coal in the ground.
In Pennsylvania, we have many rivers that can be dammed to harness hydroelectric power.
And yes, in Pennsylvania, we have oil.
We have lots of oil in the ground.
Some of you folks who study American history probably already know that Titusville- Oil City (Pithole) Pennsylvania was the site of the first commercial oil company in the United States.
So, a few years back, we decided to "drill here, and drill now."
We opened up the Allegheny National Forest to oil drilling.
(Pause)
(I am pausing while I wait for the sky to open up. Thunder and lightening to strike all of us in Pennsylvania for allowing oil drilling in a National Forest.)
Here at The Angry Republican, we decided to head up to the Allegheny National Forest so we could show you what oil drilling in a National Forest looks like.
Can you spot the ugly oil rig in this picture..??
You are not going to find it because it is painted green. You cannot see it.
I have taken a picture of an oil pump that is out in the open so you can get an idea of what one looks like.
(It is that metallic object in the center of the frame.)
Here is another photo of an oil pump in a farmer's cornfield.
That is productive..!! Not only is this guy growing corn, he is also pulling oil from below.
There is no messy oil lying on the ground, polluting the environment. In fact, each oil well has to be registered with the government and in doing so- is checked regularly by the EPA and DER. You are NOT going to find oil laying on the ground, or pollution in any form near these oil wells.
An interesting story on this topic: in Pennsylvania, there is a creek named "Oil Creek." The creek received its name because oil seeped into the creek on its own. This was a natural event. There was so much oil in the ground that it just flowed into the creek covering birds with oil and killing fish.
When man began pulling oil from the ground, this relieved the pressure on the oil reserve, and Oil Creek cleared up.
I believe some people have an unrealistic idea of what oil drilling looks like.
They believe huge "permanent" towers clutter the landscape, with oil spilling out all over the ground. They see ducks covered in oil, choking and dying.
This is not what happens today with oil drilling.
The drilling platforms are mobile. They are only there while the drilling is taking place. Once the oil deposit is reached, the drilling tower is removed and a pump is installed. Modern crews have the technology to deal with any oil spills the minute it happens. You are not going to find oil lying on the ground.
Drilling for oil in America is NOT the only answer.
We must also invest in new power sources.
But new sources alone are not the answer either.
We must have the Oil Companies competing with the new power sources to provide us with competitive prices on both.
Today, we are being held over a barrel. (An oil barrel.) Yes I know, terrible joke.
We need to drill for oil in America because it is dangerous to be this dependent on foreign oil.
But at the same time, we must invest in alternative power supplies.
You do not drop the old power method (oil) for the new power source. You allow the two to compete with each other, and we will enjoy lower prices down the road.
Let's say someone perfects the water-powered car. (A car with a motor that runs on hydrogen. Hydrogen that has been separated from the water molecule.) But let's say that the water has to be "treated" in some manner, and therefore, you must buy it from- "someone" who treats it.
If congress passed a law making it illegal to drive a gas powered car and you MUST drive the water powered car, the water powered car will sell for a higher price and stay expensive because- what other choice do you have..??
But if we allow the oil industry to compete with the water-powered car, the price will have to come down on the water-powered car for people to buy it.
When Henry Ford perfected the "horseless carriage", we didn't outlaw the horse and buggy. We allowed both to compete and this forced Henry Ford to lower the cost of the gas powered car.
Henry Ford was not a magician and there is another Henry Ford out there, waiting for the opportunity to compete.
When I hear conservative's claim that we are wasting money and effort in researching alternative energy, I want to bang my head against a wall. The reason we are paying $4 and possibly $5 bucks a gallon for gas is because we have put all our eggs in one basket. And that basket is oil.
What other choice do we have? Electric cars..??
However, I also hear liberal's claim that drilling for oil in America will not solve our problems because there isn't enough oil to effect the supply. At that point, I begin to look for another wall to bang my head against.
You do not know that…
We cannot say that there isn't enough oil to effect the supply.
First…
Just the passing of a law in congress to drill for oil in America, could cause the oil producing nations to lower their prices by producing more oil.
Alaska, by itself, probably will not effect the American oil supply much. But we have oil in Pennsylvania that we are NOT allowed to pump and sell. (Because it is part of the strategic supply.) There is shale oil in the mid-west. We have oil off the coast of American shores.
When you add all of this up, it will effect the supply of oil to America. It will make us less dependant on foreign oil.
Then, when science has perfected the new- cleaner power source that will fuel us into the future, this new source will compete with oil and we will have plenty of energy.
We must act now.
We must drill for oil in America and we must invest in alternative new power sources.
For those who worry about the environment…
How long does it take for nature to reclaim the land..??
In the birthplace of the American Oil Industry- Pennsylvania. The old timers were not very careful in removing oil from the ground. The oil spilled everywhere. It was carted out by horse and buggy in rusty barrels that leaked everywhere. Northwestern Pennsylvania was a mess from this half-hazard way of oil drilling.
But since that time, we have cleaned the area up. Today, you would never know what took place one hundred years ago. Actually, you would need a tour guide to point out where the drilling took place. What man could not do, nature completed the task. The old roads that oil wagons use to travel are all but gone today. Nature took them back. Covering these old roads with trees, bushes, and animals.
How long does it take for nature to reclaim the land..??
I propose a test for you to try.
Stop mowing the grass around your house for two months. Then tell me what happened.
If you live in the southwest, stop watering your lawn for two months and see how long it takes the desert to reclaim your property.
It doesn't take long for nature to take back the land that you care for.
Here is a picture of an abandoned commercial parking lot. A Canadian goose seems very happy to claim this parking lot as a temporary home.
If you could ask this goose, (if a goose could talk) she would probably tell you that the black asphalt is warmed by the sunlight and feels nice on her backside. That would be the only reason I can figure why a goose would choose to roost here.
It doesn't take long for nature to reclaim the land.
All it takes is for you to look the other way for a year or two. Nature will creep up and take it back.
If you believe as I do, as many Americans do; that we must drill for oil in America- today, you really need to sign the petition called:
DRILL HERE, DRILL NOW, PAY LESS.
Newt Gingrich and Chuck Norris are lending their support of this petition and as of today- 762,328 Americans have signed this petition.
This is a grass roots campaign. Starting from average people and working it's way up to celebrities and politicians.
The current congress just doesn't get it..??
Both Barack Obama and John McCain do not understand it..??
Taxing the power suppliers with a "cap and trade system" will not lower the cost of energy and it will not make the earth cooler by stopping global warming.
The solution is simple; increase production of oil.
DRILL HERE, DRILL NOW…
You can learn more about American Solutions and sign the petition by cutting and pasting this link here:
http://www.americansolutions.com/actioncenter/petitions/?Guid=54ec6e43-75a8-445b-aa7b-346a1e096659
I know some people have a romantic view of going back to a time before the gas-powered car.
But are you really cut out to turn a cornfield with a horse and plow..?? Are you ready to move next door to where you work so you can walk to work..??
Will you still have a job..??
Is your profession based on oil in any way?
Going back to an oil-less lifestyle should be a "choice", not something that is forced on you.
Drill for oil in America now..!!
Invest in alternative power today..!!
Written by AR Babonie for The Angry Republican
The 13th Angry Republican Video Broadcast
Global Warming must be true..!! (Unless it isn't?)
