America’s Crude Advantage

October 11, 2010 06:05


Drilling restrictions are sending oil and gas production outside America’s sphere. The curbs are presumably in place for environmental reasons. But the truth is, it’s cleaner to drill at home than elsewhere.

IBD Editorials

EXCERPTS:

According to Energy Department figures, almost 80% of potentially oil-rich offshore sites are off-limits to drilling; 60% of onshore sites are inaccessible as well.

They’ve also forced offshore drilling farther from U.S. coasts into riskier locales. The restrictions directly contributed to the scale of the recent BP Deepwater Horizon crude spill in the Gulf of Mexico, where there’s a six-month moratorium on drilling due to that accident.

The green lobby and its Democratic supporters have pushed hard for American drillocide, justifying their campaign on an urgent need to protect the environment.

A genuine understanding of the situation, though, indicates they either don’t know that restrictive U.S. policies send drilling to other countries — or they’re simply being dishonest about their goals.

Forcing drilling outside the U.S. may keep the U.S. a bit cleaner. But whatever gains there are come at the expense of the overall environment, which becomes worse off. Poor and developing nations are poor stewards of the land and sea.

FULL STORY



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