OFF-SHORE DRILLING HOAX

Here’s the real scoop on off-shore oil drilling in our country. 

Let’s start with the fact that the U.S. uses 25% of the world’s supply of oil, way more than any other country uses.  And the world’s supply of oil has already peaked and is now in decline.  The answer some have come up with is “Drill Baby Drill,” by which they mean, the risky drilling for oil off the shores of America’s coastlines. 

Right now there are around 4,000 off-shore drilling platforms that are operating in U.S.  federal waters, primarily in the Gulf of Mexico — mostly off the shores of Louisiana and Texas —  and also off the coast of Alaska.  We were shocked to know that there are so many rigs currently operating off  the coasts of the United States.  And yet, these 4,000 wells only produce roughly 7% of the amount of oil that is consumed yearly by our country.

The part of off-shore drilling that we here at CLN don’t think that most Americans really seem to get is that the small percentage of oil that is produced by these 4,000 oil platforms off of our own coasts — that represent ecologically and financially risky drilling — is not even for our own country’s use!  No, it is sold on the open, worldwide market and this oil (as with all oil) goes to the highest bidder — thereby producing, not more oil for our nation’s consumption, but more profits for the oil companies. 

Check out the chart below and you can see that the little sliver at the top of the chart represents a tiny, tiny amount  of oil that would be added from new off-shore drilling within the next two decades.  Yet, even if that sliver was kept by our nation for our own use, that sliver could be helpful.  However, this is not the case — that sliver also does not belong to us, it belongs to the international oil companies that do the drilling.  And they do not turn our own natural resource over to us.

Get it?  America risks destroying our coastlands so that oil companies can make even more money.  The company that has caused the biggest U.S. oil disaster in decades is a British company, British Petroleum!  Our Gulf Coast is seriously in danger and all for the profits of a British oil company.  Whatever oil that BP gets from this oil drilling will go to the world market for sale, NOT to the benefit of our country.  America takes the risk — Big-Oil reaps the benefit.

Is this the deal that Americans think they’re making with Big Oil?  “Drill Baby Drill!”  The oil pumped from the off-shore drilling (as with all oil from U.S. natural resources) is not meant for the U.S.! 

This is a major point of confusion on the part of many Americans, a confusion undoubtedly generated by the oil industry and their allies in Washington.  When we support “Drill-Baby-Drill” we are supporting international oil corporations and oil markets’ profits.  The oil that is drilled in the Gulf of Mexico, or in Alaska’s wilderness, along the coasts of California, or even the proposed drilling off  Florida’s coast,  is not reserved for our nation’s consumption.  It is sold to the highest bidder on the world markets.  It goes to Japan or China, or anywhere in the world that the drillers can get the best price. 

Obviously, we are risking our coasts, and that risk does nothing to reduce the amount of oil we have to buy, nor does it even lower the cost of gasoline at the pump by increasing the supply of oil.  It is estimated that there are only 18 billion barrels of oil to be had in the entire world in off-shore drilling.  And even if there were a more significant amount of oil produced off-shore, to be sold on the open market, all OPEC would have to do to keep the price of gas at the pump high is to limit their production of oil. 

The right lies when it implies that domestic drilling is important to our country’s energy independence.  This oil does NOT automatically go to our country for sale, and doesn’t even go to our nation’s domestic reserve.  Too many Americans believe that domestic drilling, including off-shore drilling, is helping our country’s quest for oil independence. 

That’s the Off-Shore Drilling Hoax.  We need to tell this story in a clear and concise way — and tell it often.  The Big-Oil supporters are deceiving us, and it’s time to put an end to their deception.