Americans Rejected 'Drill, Baby, Drill' -- Bush Should Respect Our Choice
Part of the change Americans just voted for in overwhelming numbers was to move away from the failed energy philosophy of "drill, baby, drill" to a more farsighted strategy, emphasized by Barack Obama, based on clean, renewable energy and efficiency. Yet on the very day that we raised our voices for change, the Bush administration dragged us in the opposite direction.
The Bureau of Land Management cynically chose November 4 to announce a last-minute plan to lease huge swaths of majestic wilderness in eastern Utah for oil and gas extraction one month before President-elect Obama takes office.
As its clock runs out, the Bush administration also is trying to open-up drilling all over the Rockies and Alaska, to green-light oil shale leasing, and to weaken the Endangered Species Act. Though sad, it's no surprise, coming as it does from the same crowd that designed a misguided national energy policy in secret meetings with the oil, gas and coal industries.
The BLM didn't just try to slip the audacious Utah lease maneuver past the American people on an historic election day, it actually hid the ball from its sister agency, the National Park Service, and then rejected the Service's request for more time to review the scheme.
Among the 360,000 acres to be auctioned for industrial development is pristine land near Canyonlands National Park, adjacent to Arches National Park and Dinosaur National Monument. This Christmas gift to the dirty fuel industry includes parts of Desolation Canyon, named in 1869 by the explorer John Wesley Powell, which has been proposed for national park status. In fact, the BLM itself described Desolation Canyon nine years ago as "a place where a visitor can experience true solitude -- where the forces of nature continue to shape the colorful, rugged landscape."
Words alone cannot do justice to the beauty of these places, but they do capture the absurdity of the Bush plan. Oil and gas drilling in Desolation Canyon? Industrial development along the meandering Green River? The thought makes one wince.
The Obama transition team already has signaled its opposition to the leases, and said that once in office the Obama administration will try to reverse them. Let's hope that's possible. Utah's eastern expanse is one of America's few remaining wilderness treasures. It's our land, it's our legacy, but will it still be here for our children and grandchildren? We made our wishes about that known loudly and clearly on election day.
We voted to take control of our own destiny by breaking our addiction to dirty fuels. We voted to re-power America with clean energy from wind, solar and geothermal power. We voted to use of our greatest resource, American ingenuity, to build economic, energy and climate security, and to preserve our natural heritage. Yes we did. And yes we can.
Robert Redford, an actor, director and environmental activist, is a Trustee of the Natural Resources Defense Council and is the founder of Sundance, in Utah.
This post also appears on NRDC's Greenlight blog.
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Not sure what the rest of America voted "FOR", but I voted against incompetence, borderline criminal malfeasance vis a vis the US Constitution, and absolute, brutal failure in fiscal, financial and foreign policy.
My thoughts never got close to closing down any domestic oil reserve.
To the contrary: it is crazy not to drill all the oil that can be drilled when we can drill it.
Where I differ from the drilling crowd is in my opinion government should either do the drilling or take more of a share of the proceeds and ensure that domestically drilled oil stays in the US (as the Constitution bars bans on exports by private business, THIS is the main reason government should retain ownership of the oil at least through delivery to US regional distributors).
"Drill baby drill" does not imply irresponsible drilling at any cost to the environment is my final point.
I submit that it is crazy "to drill all the oil that can be drilled when we can drill it". That is the surest way to run out of this precious irreplaceable resource at the earliest possible moment. Then what?
The public supports more drilling by 70%. The election was not about that! They also support other energy sources and yes doing it all in an environmentally friendly way. You will need oil if not for burning , then for plastics, fertilzers and asphalt.
Pls dont misconstrue the vote. We want independence and to balance our trade deficits and thats not going to happen by importiing. Nor can we save the Gulf when 20 other nations are drilling out there by us not doing so.
Regards
Mr. Redford, thank you for your efforts to save the environment. We need to save these sacred and beautiful places for our children and generations to come. I always carry in my minds eye the colors and purity of the grand canyon and the beautiful waters of the Caribbean to name a few.
I certainly agree with Mr Redford regarding America's rejection of "drill, baby, drill" if by that you mean the kind of resource management that characterized our bloated energy industry. However, in this morning's Anchorage Daily News, an opinion piece by Alan Boraas suggests that there's another path that does allow the extraction of resources in a way that actually would be agreeable to both sides of the argument.
http://community.adn.com/adn/node/134767
We'd be wise to think of the balance in which our society finds itelf being a delicate one. In moving towards the future it is in everyone's interest to see that wise use is not just bottom line. Mr Boraas, a professor in Anthropology at Alaska's Kenai Community College, has suggested the combined involvement and oversight by the National Park Service and the indigenous people whose communities rely upon the land for their traditional subsistence and continuance.
Perhaps Obama will be sensitive to this and help to usher in a new perspective on our situation that isn't simply a continuation of "all or nothing" but instead replaces it with innovative approaches with new voices from relevant perspectives.
Yes !
Mr. Redford, we average people in this country are depending on people like you who do have a high profile and a means of making yourself heard. This additional rape of our nation must be presented to the people on Good Morning America, The Today Show, Hardball, 60 Minutes, and any other program that airs nationally on regular and the most basic cable/satellite systems. The corruption level of the bush cabal is such that unless there is LOUD opposition from everyone, these things are going to be stampeded through and made law, thereby wasting President Obama's time and energy in trying to undo shrub's spiteful actions rather than being able to accomplish the extremely needed changes in the economy, healthcare, and energy. These leases and drilling rights are going to do nothing at all to ease the energy crunch and will destroy much land unless everyone who DOES have a way to be heard does everything they can, and then dig deep and do another 10%. Thanks in advance.
I agree, but the problem is, George Bush and his cronies are doing this within the letter of the law, albeit subverting the system to make it happen. With his signing statements, and back door passages while no one is looking.
The whole point of the last 8 years (and as far as I can see, every Republican administration since 1968) is to give away as much of the US to industry as possible, legally if not ethically.
Quote: "On the very day that we raised our voices for change and voted to move away from the failed energy philosophy of "drill, baby, drill," the Bush administration dragged us in the opposite direction."
Unquote.
And that sums up precisely why the Bush administration is nothing more than an illegitimately installed group of pathological liars, bent on grabbing everything they could from the American citizenry to enrich themselves and their special interests now, and well into the future.
No theft too small, no lie too big, major laws broken, Constitution ignored, human rights violated... all in the name of greed and avarice for this gang of thugs.
Most pain is self inflicted... as a country, we abdicated our rights as citizens to the Bush Mafia by not asserting our rights years ago and insisting our elected officials confront this Administration on their illegal acts.. IN OUR NAME!
I only hope the Obama Administration holds these thugs and school-yard bullies accountable.
well said, Phildeaux!
Beware this "team of rivals" reverie the Obama team embraces. It sounds to me like a cagey way to pacify all constituencies: make the people feel all kumbaya-ish about their cooperative government, while oil companies get to despoil the environment. It's a lose/win plan tarted up as a win/win. We must stay skeptical and vigilant, even though our guy won the election.
I am sure some people who have lived in Park City and the surrounding area, pre-Sundance Film Festival, feel the same way on an annual basis for a long time now. Why us??
If we could somehow harness the power from all the calories currently being burned from all the people talking about how to fix our energy needs, we could power the planet for 100 years.
There is an awful lot of talk but nothing is being done.
Solar power is a great choice but, it's expensive to implement for home owners. If I could afford solar for my house, I'd have every square inch of my roof covered with solar panels.
There are vast reserves of Natural Gas and it's not being utilized as well as it should.
Oil, Natural Gas and coal are still our best choices with our current technology.
By the way, I've never heard anyone complaining about the Arabs, or any other oil producing country drilling for oil. Why is it such a problem to drill for oil here in America? It's ok for the Arabs to drill and for America to send them nearly a trillion dollars a year, but nothing is being done here in America to address our energy needs because we're afraid of offending the environmentalists.
This is just like America, we're standing, right now, on top of oil and natural gas but we stand and complain about the need for energy and we don't address our immediate needs. If a burgler was trying to bust down your front door to rob or harm you, would you blog about it or whip out your shotgun and defend yourself.
Not only expensive but we live in a new development where the homeowners association FORBIDS solar panels!!! And they forbid vegetable gardens! And this is in Madison WI which suppose to be the land of the lefties!! Can you believe it??
What is wrong with the homeowners? I guess none of them lived through WWII? How idiotic can that be to forbid vegetable gardens? Would the be against using tabasco peppers as an accent plant? What do they think those funny cute cabbage things are that are sold at Lowe's? THIS REALLY IRRITATES ME... but then you bought the house didn't you? YIKES.
This day and age I'm not surprised by anything anymore.
Where I live the solar panel restriction isn't about having them, it's about how many I can have. Here in Oregon, there is a tax incentive for installing solar panels that is roughly $6000 dollars. The problem is the restrictive policies in some communities either forbid them altogether or limit the amount a home owner can install. It's not worth it if I can't install enough of them to get any real benefit. I would like to power my entire house with solar energy and not be restricted to just a few panels.
Why would you live in a development that forbids solar panels and vegetable gardens when you obviously find it unreasonalbe? Doesn't your living/buying there an implied agreement with that kind of thinking? Hmmmm?
Baloney. Start reading about the Green River Shale. That is the source. First of all, it covers an enormous part of eastern Utah and western Wyoming - and there is absolutely no reason why drilling needs to take place near National Parks. There is not a single study that shows that resources are more plentiful in those places, easier to get to, or richer. Second, the Rand group did a comprehensive study on the viablity of oil shale as a resource. Oil has to be very, very expensive to make drilling oil shale worth while - which it is not. Third. It is a nasty resource - nothing like the Permian reef deposits in Texas or Oklahoma. Fourth - it is not primarlly used for cars and trucks.
"Drill baby drill" was supported by the majoriy a few months ago. I believe it was around 70%. High fuel prices and a "shortage" were the reasons. Alternative voices were disagreeing about the shortage. Today prices are lower and OPEC is now lowering production.
We did not go from shortage to glut in a few months.
There never was a shortage. The only reason for the "shortage" was to support "drill baby drill"
US oil companies will find it difficult if not impossible to gain access to the "good" oil in the Middle East thanks to our foreign (war) policies. Off shore is too expensive so "America the bautiful" takes the hit. (my opinion)
NYT had an editorial stating Bush/Cheney should resign.
Other than that there is no solution . . . . . he will go out being the same jerk he always was.
Bush should respect our choice? The very thought of anyone in the Bush administration respecting anything but money and their discredited ideology is laughable. Who knows a man better than his father? I can't help but to wonder how much shame the old man feels. He must have known that jr. didn't have what it takes. How could he, and the whole family, foisted this man on us. Herbert Walker should publicly express his shame. Until he does that I can never believe that anyone in the Bush family has any respect for anyone but themselves.
Do you suppose we could organize & create a class action & sue them all individually & the private companies for this? RFK Jr could be our lawyer-we could bankrupt them & reverse the agreement. Then they would be penniless & could not do anymore harm, we'd get our land back, RFK Jr could take the bulk of the $ & do whatever he wants with it & we could see the end of this b.s.
you're talking about a fellow who became president with a half million vote popular DEFICIT. A majority of the people voted for a liberal/left government in 2000 (adding up Gore and Nader's votes) and Bush ignored that completely.
In fact he was rewarded with reelection.
Maybe we should sue those who voted for him BOTH times.. How can 59 million people be so stupid?
Well in a perfect world, the outgoing POTUS would indeed take note of the electorate's wishes and opinions as expressed via the ballot box, but we don't live in a perfect world. We live in the USA and the current POTUS has a track record of ignoring the electorate, of circumventing the Constitution of the United States, as well as a business history of leaving bankruptcies in his wake. Why should this be any different? This is not a man who cares deeply about his country - Bush & Co. are land pirates who have the wherewithal to plunder and pillage and lay waste to our country. And they relish this.
Mr. Redford,
it is very surprising to me to see that the Americans do not talk to much about biomass as a renewable energy source, being the USA one of the biggest country in the world. Energy forestry http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki//Energy_forestry) could be a source of renewable to any country, having the advantages like: simple technology, low costs, descentralized power generation, wealth criation on the rural area and others.
Congratulations for your work.
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