Why are people not demanding that congress allow drilling for oil?

Question

we keep hearing people complain about the price of gas and diesel and the fact that prices will only keep climbing. yet, these very same people are not demanding congress get off its brains and open up the entire country to more drilling for oil and natural gas. yes, id like to see development of viable alternatives to oil but while we spend the years necessary researching and develooping it, why not use the resources that we have on hand. can we really be so stupid to value the environment and animal life over our own existence?

Answer 1

$5.00 a gallon for gas is a small price to pay for knowing that the Caribou in some God forsaken corner of Alaska are still horny.

The Government wants us weak, because our dependence on them, makes them stronger.  They are not going to help us.  They just want to use us to justify getting their hands on the profits.

Answer 2

In general, yes. Especially here in the U.S., the environment and animals are more important than human needs. Most people are open to the idea of drilling, but it's the treehugging and animal rights organizations that brainwash them and change their minds.

Answer 3

This wouldn't solve the problem, it would just prolong the agony.

By valuing the environment and animal life, we might just save our own necks.  Think about this, would you?  I have.

Answer 4

What makes you think that the supply of crude is the factor limiting the  cost of gas at the pump? The price of gas is up because of the weak dollar. Shall we talk about the oil-man who caused that to happen, in order to get back at the man who put a "hit" out on his daddy? When the dollar is weak, investors buy futures, betting that the price will go up. As more people see the price rise, more people buy the same futures and it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

There is plenty of oil available in the shales and oil sands. It's just cheaper to extract the oil elsewhere. Why should the oil companies spend their record profits doing that when lobbying and advertising could get them oil that costs THEM less and spreads the cost over the entire country by destruction of a reserve meant to be inviolate?

Answer 5

How is is stupid to place value on the environment that produces the air you need to stay alive?  I understand your frusturated, but just going pell-mell and drilling anywhere and everywhere is ridiculous.  In no other country is gas raising this high, and in no other country are the gas corporations making almost 100% over what they have made the last three years.  The problems stem from company greed and no government interference.  Not that we're running out of oil.  We can't address this problem with another hurry up and stop gap fix, that the prez is so good at.  We need conscious careful planning to stop gas companies from over-pricing simply because they can.

Answer 6

well the problem is that we are a part of the environment, and drilling oil will impact us too.

So the question is oil now and HUGE problems later or medium problems now and hopefully long-term solutions.  

Oil will eventually run out in any case, so we do need to figure out new solutions (e.g. electrical or even hydrogen car).

For now though, there's plenty of oil still left in the places where it's being drilled now--- but there are quotas to keep prices artificially high.

Answer 7

Environmentalists groups have everything tied up in court and I mean everything

Answer 8

gas is not a brilliant answer but a diesel is a work place just a thing......and much more partnership

Answer 9

Because of the hippies in power.  Oil naturally seeps in the ocean from the sea floor.  We have the rigs not to drill anywhere in the world.  Allowing companies to drill off the coast and in ANWR would lower the price of oil and further reduce our imports from other countries.  Many companies today are very careful during operations, otherwise they will get fined by the government and could lose their leases.

Answer 10

Drilling for more oil would only help a little in the short term.  Yes, some alternative fuels would take years to be viable, but so would oil.  It takes years to build oil rigs and to transport the oil throughout the country.  Seriously, the oil in ANWR would only last about three months and it would not decrease the price that much.

Instead of demanding that congress allows drilling for oil, we should demand of congress more alternative fuels, like electric cars, solar, and hydrogen.  Those industries need subsidies to lower the prices of electric cars and increase research for solar and hydrogen cars.

And yes, I value the environment and animal life over our own "existence".  What you mean by existence is that we should be able to drive huge cars everywhere we want to go, right?  Because I exist perfectly fine, I am perfectly able to walk and bike more.  It doesn't kill me, actually it makes me healthier, so really it makes my actual existence on earth longer.