To Drill or Not to Drill

To Drill or Not to Drill? That is the question.

Without question one of the most contentious political debates in recent times has been that surrounding energy policy in America. President Obama, as well as politicians on both sides of the aisle, have argued that American investment in green energy is not only necessary for the environment, but would reap economic benefits as well. Opponents of this argue that green technology is unproven, overly expensive, and full implementation would likely be a net negative for an already shaky economy. While both sides have valid perspectives, the initiatives supported by President Obama are important and should be pursued. There are several reasons for this. The first reason looks with an eye to the long term future; oil is indisputably a finite resource. Even if it was clean and its extraction and usage caused no harmful environmental effects it will still run out. Scientists as well as environmentalists argue passionately about exactly how long that scenario will take to play out, but there is no debate that it will happen, especially with booming economic systems coming to life in China and India. In the shorter term, oil has proven to be an extremely impactful energy source for the environment. The recent Gulf Coast oil well disaster will cause billions of dollars in harm to the local economy. The affects effects on the environment will take years to accurately calculate. Similar oil based disaster, at the hands of the Exxon Valdez, had comparable terrible consequences for Alaska. Climate researchers are adamant that the burning of fossil fuels has contributed to global climate change; while this issue is argued even more than the energy issue, it is clear that the potential effects of global climate change should give policy makers a reason to consider green technology expansion. The benefits of green technology are nearly limitless. One of the most important would be freedom from reliance on foreign...