So last night we heard whispers about some senior Democrats getting ready to "compromise" on offshore drilling. I found this to be appalling, much more so than the "compromise" on FISA earlier this week. There is absolutely no benefit to giving more millions of acres of government land to oil companies for their exploitation when we have a global crisis on our hands. It will do nothing in the short-term and actually will harm us in the long run in terms of trying to reduce our country's carbon output.
The more I thought about this, the angrier I got. So before going to bed last night, I decided to do something about it. I have learned that a simple phone call or email to my representatives in Congress just is not good enough sometimes. Therefore, I wrote this letter to my Democratic senator, Sherrod Brown. However, that is not all I plan to do...
Dear Senator Brown,
I doubt you remember me, but I met you while you were campaigning at a union hall outside of Middletown, OH in the summer of 2006. I was the college student in the wheelchair that told you I was phone-banking for you. Anyways, that’s not important. What is important is the serious issue of energy independence and our environment. I read recently that some senior Democrats are considering compromise on offshore drilling. I believe this to be a monumental mistake of historic proportions, not only for our country, but for our entire world.
Even though the Republicans are trying to trick the American people into believing drilling offshore is the answer to our pain at the gas pump, the reality is that not a single drop of oil from these offshore leases will reach American gas pumps for at least 7 years. Plus, all experts say this new supply of oil would only reduce gas prices by an average of 10-15 cents. Is 15 cents off our gas prices in 2015 really worth the environmental destruction that would be caused by this offshore drilling? There is also the fact that oil companies already hold leases to 68 million acres of government property and have yet to develop any energy from them. Why would we give more land to oil companies for exploitation, when they have not even developed these millions of acres?
There are now cleaner renewable sources of energy available for us to use to finally rid ourselves of foreign oil. By all accounts, America can produce 20% of its energy from wind, and between 20-30% from solar, all at a price very competitive with oil and coal. Another renewable source, geothermal, is being discussed as having the potential to be a major part of our carbon-free energy production as well. Once those sources are pushed to their limits, a less environmentally-friendly but nonetheless renewable source, nuclear, can make up the rest of America’s energy production. We need to explore these sources as the answer to our energy crisis rather than continue to use an inefficient and dirty source like oil. Even T. Boone Pickens, the Republican oilman of the past half century, says we cannot drill our way out of this energy crisis. In fact, he is even running commercials around the country touting his energy plan of less oil and more wind and natural gas (even though the natural gas part of his plan is not exactly viable). Plus, new car technology is making oil more and more obsolete. Mechanic Jonathan Goodwin has shown that automakers have the technology to develop automobiles (even large vehicles like Hummers) that get at least 60 mpg, sometimes even up to 100 mpg. New cars are also being developed everyday that are solely powered by combinations of batteries, biofuels, and hydrogen. These carbon-free cars are the future of the market and will be mass produced within the next 5-8 years, as long as Democrats in Congress stay strong and continue to push for more energy-efficient transportation.
Planet Earth simply cannot take any more fossil fuel burning. We are already seeing the early effects of Climate Change, as the polar ice caps have continued to melt, oceans have slowly risen, and places like Australia have gone through extreme drought. Now scientists are saying that we will have to cut our CO2 output by 80% by 2050 if we want to continue to live in the civilized society that we are used to. NASA scientist Jim Hansen says that the safe upper limit for atmospheric CO2 is 350 ppm. However, our current atmospheric carbon is at least 383 ppm, and that is without a fully industrialized China and India. Drilling offshore will definitely reduce our chances of reaching 350 ppm within the next few decades, while doing nothing to reduce our dependency on fossil fuel energy sources.
Please do not compromise with the Republicans on this issue. Too many times over the past 8 years, "compromise" with these Republicans and President Bush really means capitulation. We just witnessed it yesterday with the FISA bill. Why would you compromise now when, in less than 6 months, the Democrats will have a new president and more robust majorities in both houses of Congress? 2009 will be the year when we start our path toward a more energy independent future with President Obama’s New Energy for America plan. Please hold strong against the Republicans these last few months and show us that the Democrats in Congress are able to show strength when they know they are right.
Along with this letter, I have enclosed a paper I wrote for my Environmental History class last semester at Miami University. It is about the catastrophic Exxon Valdez oil spill of 1989 and how our lack of governmental and societal oversight caused it. I hope you read it and think about the potential consequences to our fragile environment and fishing industry that more drilling can cause. I also hope you share it with your Senate colleagues so that they can see the consequences as well. I could have just written an email or made a phone call, but that would have been too easy. I believe that this issue warrants more direct action. Therefore as a citizen of this great country, I have decided that the least I could do was write an individualized letter about preventing offshore drilling to every single Democratic member of the Senate, which I intend to do in the coming weeks. Protecting our environment has got to be the number one issue for us as Americans and as citizens of this world. We must remember that we have only one planet, and only one chance at solving this Climate Change crisis.
Thank you for your time,
Christopher D. Brock
That's right. As you just read it my letter, I plan on sending a separate, individualized letter to every single Democratic member of the Senate, including Senator LIEberman and my other senator, George Voinovich. While most of the letters will contain the same information regarding Global Warming and drilling, each letter will be individualized to each specific senator. For instance, letters to Feingold and Dodd will praise them for their strength, while letters to Feinstein and Durbin will tell them how we feel about their lack of courage and that we will primary them if they continue to dismiss their base.
In lieu of actually going to Washington and confronting the Senators themselves, or voting them out of office altogether, I believe this to be the best way to get their attention on an issue that we need them to stand strong on. I urge all of you to write letters as well. Until their office is flooded with actual letters, I really think they will continue to ignore us.