It never ceases to amaze me how silly many on the left are about the prospect of drilling in ANWR. Any reasonable solution to our dependence on foreign oil should include:
2.) Research for alternative fuel sources other than the outrageous slush-fund known as ethanol subsidies, which should be exhibit A in any argument against having the Iowa Caucus first.
3.) Increased Cafe standards
4.) Radical improvements to Clean Coal
5.) Nuclear plant construction and research in storage of nuclear waste, as well as an administration and Congresss with the political will to actually store the waste somewhere, rather than the rag-tag temporary storage everywhere in the country.
6.) Tax credits and incentives for fuel efficient vehicles, energy efficient appliances, energy efficient homes
7.) Increased refining capacity
8.) Increase oil exploration and smart extraction policies
9.) Conservation campaigns
10.) And for goodness sakes, end the tax loophole for SUV’s. Are we out of our damned minds?
And those are in no particular order, yet all are necessary. Demagoguing Democrats railing that Bush isn’t pressuring the House of Saud to increase production isn’t solving our problem- it exacerbates it. Pretending that temporarily releasing or stopping to fill the Strategic Petroleum Reserve does anything is like giving aspirin to a hemorraging patient.
Likewise, Republicans have their heads up their asses on the other half of the issues on this list. Why a comprehensive energy strategy that makes sense has become such a political football is beyond me.
*** Update ***
Toren Smith is shrill on the subject of nuclear waste. Being shrill is good, I am learning.