Do you know who Col. Edwin Drake was? He is credited as the first to drill for oil in the United States. On August 27, 1859, with a well near Titusville, PA, Col. Drake struck oil.
I didn't know that fact and I am married to a man who has been in the oil drilling industry for 30 years. So that we are clear - I am of the drill here, drill now crowd.
It is chic for some circles to trash the reputation of the oil drilling industry in this country. That is a shame. And, it is ungrateful. An excellent article was written by Alex Epstein for IBDeditorials.com explaining the history of oil drilling.
The ready availability of oil has transformed the world. For our country, "Many historians have argued that Allied nations' superior ability to produce oil was a decisive factor in both wars (WWI, WWII). In war, as in economics, having the cheapest, most convenient energy is a matter of life and death."
Goods in your home are there thanks to oil. Transporation in trade is fueled by oil around the world. While those who wish to see oil production shut down may not even realize it, there is not much around us that is not somehow connected to oil. Without oil, our world would be a very different place.
Oil based products are everywhere. Your iPhone, sunglasses, shatterproof glass, HDTV's, automobile tires, appliances, and yes, even the wind mills that may one day yield an alternative energy supply. Solar panels, too.
The oil and gas industry is the most regulated of all. The exploration process for oil and gas is expensive and often in dangerous places. Our refineries are overworked and more are needed. The "Big Oil" companies that politicians love to bash and tax are the very ones pouring money into alternative energy sources and protecting marine life. Did you know that reefs for fish and marine life are made when oil drilling platforms are sunk to the ocean floor as they are discarded? It is not uncommon for offshore oil drilling personnel to enjoy fishing during down time.
There is certainly a need for alternative energy sources. No one disputes that. It is far down the road, though and will cost a lot of money. It makes sense to support oil drilling on our own land and in our waters instead of purchasing from foreign sources.
3 comments:
here here. a really good article chock full of a lot of info.
You know I LOVE this article, girlfriend!
What a difference we could make simply by drinking tap water rather than buying the individual PLASTIC bottles of water at the store.... I am with you. The drilling techniques have evolved so much... and none of this is ever presented to the public.
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