Congress is Back, Dems Soften on Drilling

Good news from Capitol Hill - Speaker Pelosi and the Democrats in the House have softened their position on energy legislation.

Prior to the August recess, Speaker Pelosi had blocked any discussion of opening up Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) to exploration and drilling, saying that such proposals were a "hoax." This prompted Republicans, who had been silenced by the Speaker's dictatorial tactics, to stage an historic protest by refusing to leave the House floor for recess until a vote was allowed on an "all of the above" energy package. The tactic aroused public support for the Republican position and opposition to the strong-arm, partisan tactics of Speaker Pelosi.

Pelosi, however, continues to misrepresent the Republican position, calling it a "drill-only" policy. Apparently she hasn't learned much over the past month. Her attitude seems to indicate that she thinks the American public is stupid. Anyone who has been paying even the slightest bit of attention is aware that House Republicans are not pushing for a "drill-only" solution, but for a position that increases domestic supplies of oil in the short term while promoting the development of renewable sources of energy.

The debate over energy policy should never have reached this point. Whether we like it or not, the economy still runs on oil and an economically viable alternative does not exist (that is, an alternative that is affordable for the majority of the population). As I have said many times before, the best solution to the current energy crisis is to open up the OCS (85% of which is still off-limits to exploration and drilling) to lower the price of petroleum in the short term while simultaneously promoting the development of alternative fuels.

The question is not one of oil vs. alternatives, but how do we move the economy towards alternatives in a way that both protects the environment and maintains growth. An "all of the above" solution seems is the best way to accomplish this goal.