The Debate Over Domestic Oil
TOP: Oil shale extraction (image: sfgate.com), BOTTOM: Oil platforms off the coast of Southern California (image: patdollard.com)
With a new president in office formulating a new energy policy that promises to be a major departure from that of his predecessor, the debate over domestic sources of crude is heating up once again. All sides agree that the United States’ dependence on foreign oil is harmful to national security and our economy (according to the
Energy Information Administration, the US imports over 12 million barrels of crude a day, 60% of total oil consumed). The questions are: how will we as a nation reduce our dependence and what domestic energy sources will replace all of that imported oil?
Voices on the political right argue that rigorous excavation of crude oil through offshore drilling and oil shale mining could cut America’s dependence on foreign oil quickly and with many positive economic effects. One such voice is Janet Levy, who wrote an opinion piece for the conservative website AmericanThinker.com advocating increased reliance on oil shale as a domestic source of crude. Levy emphasizes the sheer size of America’s oil shale reserves in the Rocky Mountain region of the West, which could potentially yield as many as 800 billion barrels of crude oil. Levy also argues that the processes used to yield crude from oil shale are “proven technologies” that are “environmentally sensitive” and would create thousands of high-paying jobs.
Conservatives also tend to support the expansion of offshore drilling in American waters as a solution to US dependence on foreign oil—so much so that “drill baby drill” became a sort of unofficial campaign slogan for Republican John McCain during last year’s presidential race. Although offshore reserves hold much less oil—about 18 billion barrels, according to the Department of the Interior—than American oil shale reserves, proponents argue that ramping up offshore drilling would be a quick and easy way to boost domestic oil production. Coastal reserves in the Gulf of Mexico were only re-opened to drilling last year, when Congress, spooked by skyrocketing oil prices, sought to take action that would help to lower prices. However, now that oil prices have fallen considerably, the need for drilling seems less urgent.
Voices from the left end of the political spectrum and environmental groups in particular tend to be critical of oil shale excavation and the expansion of offshore drilling, instead favoring expansion of renewable energy sources such as wind and solar. The Center for Biological Diversity is a leading voice against developing American oil shale as a source of crude oil. In a statement released last month, the Center laid out its opposition to shale oil production, saying that the process of pulling crude from shale requires too much energy and water and is too harmful to the environment to be worth developing. Furthermore, the report argues, production of significant amounts of oil from shale would not be seen for 30 years. The report contradicts Ms. Levy’s assessment of oil shale technology as “environmentally sensitive,” saying that, “Shale mining is among the filthiest ways to produce energy.” In addition to requiring massive amounts of heat and water, processes that render crude from oil shale could negatively impact local air quality through emission of greenhouse gases. The Center for Biological Diversity and other groups also point to the thousands of acres of undeveloped rural land on top of oil shale reserves that would be disturbed if large-scale oil shale excavation became a reality.
Liberal groups and individuals also tend to oppose expansion of offshore drilling as an energy solution, though less vehemently. They argue that the danger of oil spills in coastal waters and ecosystem disruption caused by drilling operations make more offshore drilling a poor choice for domestic energy generation. They point instead to renewable energy sources such as wind power, solar power, tidal and wave power, and biofuels. The technologies used to harness renewable energy are less advanced than offshore drilling technology, but are progressing rapidly.
Before and after his election to the presidency, Barack Obama made it clear that he intended to use federal funds and tax incentives to further accelerate the development of renewable technologies, and hoped to use those technologies, in concert with energy conservation measures, to significantly reduce American dependence on foreign oil. After originally staking a position against expanding offshore drilling, however, Obama and other members of his administration have indicated that new drilling projects will be included in his energy plan. The Obama Administration is currently considering how much territory to open to drilling and how large of a role new drilling projects will play in its forthcoming energy agenda.
Everyone involved in the debate over domestic energy resources agrees that we must reduce dependence on foreign oil; the conflict centers on how and when. On one hand, seeking out conventional, fossil-fuel-based solutions to America’s dependence on imported crude could be a faster, more complete solution. On the other hand, excavating more fossil fuels would only exacerbate existing environmental and climate change problems. Renewable energy sources offer a solution that would do little to no damage to the environment and, by their very nature, provide an unlimited source of energy for future generations. But, because many of those technologies are relatively new, they could take years or even decades to perfect. Furthermore, it would take many renewable energy sources utilized in concert to generate enough energy to completely supplant America’s “addiction” to foreign oil.
Regardless of the outcome, we are at a great crossroads in our nation’s history. Whether they include oil shale from the Rockies or windmills on the eastern seaboard, the sources of America’s energy 20 years from now will be significantly different from the sources we rely on today.
This article first appeared in the March 27, 2009 edition of the HEAT This Week Newsletter
[...] drilling in American waters, while Democrats have traditionally opposed it. As reported recently on The Heat Zone, Congress allowed an 18-year old general moratorium on offshore drilling to expire last year, and [...]