Offshore Drilling vs. Serious Efficiency

(LWN-Commentary) Many politicians and political commentators are busily clamoring for offshore drilling, with Speaker Pelosi and other Democrats apparently joining their ranks. Some claim this drilling will “reduce reliance on foreign oil”, despite its rather temporary nature. Regardless of these opportunistic moves, offshore drilling is being used as a false substitute for serious efficiency.

Offshore drilling is not a long-term solution, does nothing to limit pollution, and poses a risk of serious environmental harm. While it is true that Americans have made some effort to cut back on their energy usage, the full potential for efficiency and conservation has hardly begun to be realized. Despite all of the talk about “going green”, large new SUVs keep selling (albeit less rapidly) and massive TV sets have practically become the norm. TheState.com recently reported that luxury SUV sales are still doing rather well, which reflects the fact that some people will waste energy as long as they can afford it.


In cold climates, builders continue to construct homes which receive little or no heating benefit from the sun. Manufacturing shifts offshore unabated, despite the efficiency implications of shipping products around the world. More and more devices consume electricity even when they are turned “off”, ranging from coffee makers to DVD players and digital TV converter boxes. Passenger railway services remain limited and many residential areas are almost impossible to live in without a vehicle. It would be difficult to estimate how much energy has been depleted running military equipment in Iraq or rebuilding that nation’s destroyed infrastructure.

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