ANWR,  Elton Gallegly

Elton Gallegly Watch: Time to Drill in ANWR

ramireztoon043008

Michael Ramirez on ANWR

Flap’s Congressman writes an opinion piece for the Ventura County Star: Time to Drill in ANWR.

Conservation has an immediate impact, but is only part of the solution. Alternative fuels will take time and even then may not fully replace oil for all our energy needs. Therefore, if we are to reduce our reliance on foreign supplies, we must produce more domestic oil.

Flash back 28 years, when President Carter — a proud Democrat — set aside a small portion of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for “exploration and development” of oil and natural gas resources. An estimated 10.4 billion barrels of recoverable oil lies beneath its frozen tundra.

It has been time for almost thirty years that this domestic energy resource be developed.

However, it is ONLY when Americans make a choice between alternative sources of transportation, conservation and lifestyle changes will there be a start towards energy independence. The marketplace WILL play a role as gasoline prices skyrocket.

ANWR drilling is a stop-gap measure at best but it is better than the alternative – which so far has been nothing.