We can’t have cheap oil and alternative fuels

On the campaign trail, some candidates are taking an “all of the above” approach to energy policy. They want us to “drill, baby, drill” and promote other renewable energy sources, too.

At first, this seems appealing. Energy is a big problem, and who doesn’t want to look at all the solutions? Yet, as anyone who has ever taken a multiple-choice test knows, “all of the above” isn’t always the right answer. What if your doctor took an “all of the above” approach to your health care? He or she might advise both watchful waiting and immediate surgery. Or what if the quarterback took the snap and decided to simultaneously hand off and pass?

An “all of the above” approach doesn’t work when the options are fundamentally incompatible. That’s why the “all of the above” or so-called “balanced” energy policies out there don’t make sense. We can’t “drill, baby, drill” and become leaders in alternative energy.

…”Drill, baby, drill” might have been a great proposal in 1908. But domestic oil production peaked in 1971 and has been going down since. If domestic oil supplies could be increased easily just by drilling more, why — despite more than 30 years of trying and pro-oil national policy — haven’t oil companies been able to boost U.S. production?

Union Leader