Patch
Tuesday, March 29, 2005
Patch Thinks
Jeffrey D. Sachs
Head Columbia University's Earth Institute
From the Patch
Not much going on again today, more rain. That Rob had me searching the internet all day looking for any UFO sightings, nothing going on.
So some food for thought.
Back to ANWR.
Will drilling in ANWR destroy it; kill all the wildlife probably not. Destroy it as a pristine natural area, most likely.
Look at the North Slope and the pipe line to Valdes. The oil fields on the North Slope are hardly a tourist destination. Ecological disaster no, excepting the Exxon Valdes and just recently some nut shot a hole into the pipeline creating a huge oil spill. (This spill was every difficult to contain)But it also withstood an earthquake. The North Slope oil fields and the Alaska pipeline were built for much the same reason that drilling in ANWR is wanted. ( 1969 ) Ok what happened? Jobs, yes jobs were created but not many, not enough to make any measurable impact. Reduce our dependence on foreign oil, hardly. Bring a ton of money into the Alaskan State coffers, oh ya, make a few people very rich, oh ya, profit for oil companies probably.
So my argument is that drilling in ANWR will produce the same results. It will not produce many jobs, it will not reduce our dependence on foreign oil and it will not reduce the price of a gallon of gas.
OK, don’t drill what we have. One of the few protected pristine wild areas left in the world and the oil will be there if we ever truly need it. The oil has been there millions of years and most likely will stay there.
WE know why Alaska wants to drill, more money for them.
After the senate vote to drill we are learning things as citizens we needed to know before the vote. The oil companies are not so sure about the recoverable amount of oil in ANWR. WE now know that the test drilling results are being kept secret by the company that did the testing and the State of Alaska. Why? We also know that misinformation is given on how much land will be used, 5 acres, proponents say for a drill pad, but not saying how much land will be needed for all the other infrastructure, roads, and pipelines. As for being a great white nothing, Google up some photos and see for yourself.
If you are really concerned about America and its future and simply recognize that our dependence on Middle Eastern oil as a significant weakness, you need to demand President Bush and Congress to develop a program to make the United State independent of oil period.
Mexicans crossing the USA and Mexican border. Multi-National agricultural companies, mostly American (Archer Daniels Midland , Monsato ), but not all, are buying millions of acres of Mexican farm land, displacing millions of Mexican citizens to a jobless economy. Guess where they go to? To where the jobs are, wouldn’t you? The U.S. gets two things cheap strawberries and illegal aliens looking for work, work that we have. Right or wrong? I don’t know, but I think we Americans have some responsibly, we are not innocence. What’s the answer? Again I don’t know, but it’s not simple.
The Patch
Rob and I are reading "The End of Poverty" by Jeffrey D. Sachs
Head Columbia University's Earth Institute
From the Patch
Not much going on again today, more rain. That Rob had me searching the internet all day looking for any UFO sightings, nothing going on.
So some food for thought.
Back to ANWR.
Will drilling in ANWR destroy it; kill all the wildlife probably not. Destroy it as a pristine natural area, most likely.
Look at the North Slope and the pipe line to Valdes. The oil fields on the North Slope are hardly a tourist destination. Ecological disaster no, excepting the Exxon Valdes and just recently some nut shot a hole into the pipeline creating a huge oil spill. (This spill was every difficult to contain)But it also withstood an earthquake. The North Slope oil fields and the Alaska pipeline were built for much the same reason that drilling in ANWR is wanted. ( 1969 ) Ok what happened? Jobs, yes jobs were created but not many, not enough to make any measurable impact. Reduce our dependence on foreign oil, hardly. Bring a ton of money into the Alaskan State coffers, oh ya, make a few people very rich, oh ya, profit for oil companies probably.
So my argument is that drilling in ANWR will produce the same results. It will not produce many jobs, it will not reduce our dependence on foreign oil and it will not reduce the price of a gallon of gas.
OK, don’t drill what we have. One of the few protected pristine wild areas left in the world and the oil will be there if we ever truly need it. The oil has been there millions of years and most likely will stay there.
WE know why Alaska wants to drill, more money for them.
After the senate vote to drill we are learning things as citizens we needed to know before the vote. The oil companies are not so sure about the recoverable amount of oil in ANWR. WE now know that the test drilling results are being kept secret by the company that did the testing and the State of Alaska. Why? We also know that misinformation is given on how much land will be used, 5 acres, proponents say for a drill pad, but not saying how much land will be needed for all the other infrastructure, roads, and pipelines. As for being a great white nothing, Google up some photos and see for yourself.
If you are really concerned about America and its future and simply recognize that our dependence on Middle Eastern oil as a significant weakness, you need to demand President Bush and Congress to develop a program to make the United State independent of oil period.
Mexicans crossing the USA and Mexican border. Multi-National agricultural companies, mostly American (Archer Daniels Midland , Monsato ), but not all, are buying millions of acres of Mexican farm land, displacing millions of Mexican citizens to a jobless economy. Guess where they go to? To where the jobs are, wouldn’t you? The U.S. gets two things cheap strawberries and illegal aliens looking for work, work that we have. Right or wrong? I don’t know, but I think we Americans have some responsibly, we are not innocence. What’s the answer? Again I don’t know, but it’s not simple.
The Patch
Rob and I are reading "The End of Poverty" by Jeffrey D. Sachs
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