(8) Environmental Policy / Kyoto / ANWR Drilling / Off Coast Drilling

Ratify Kyoto immediately. ANWR / Off Coast drilling provide neither a short or long term solution to our current energy crisis; they simply prolong reliance on a resource that is not sustainable. We absolutely must shift our focus away from oil to other renewable alternatives.

I support ratifying the Kyoto treaty immediately and implementing the carbon cap and trade system wherein buyers pay a charge for polluting, while sellers are rewarded for reducing emissions by more than was needed. The theory is that those who can most easily reduce their emissions cheaply will do so, thereby achieving the pollution reduction at the lowest possible cost to society.

Regarding ANWR (Arctic National Wildlife Refuge) and Off Coast drilling I am absolutely against it - but not for the reason most liberals are against it. I'm a pragmatist so if this provided a solution I'd be taking a hard look at it. It doesn't though. We absolutely must shift our focus away from oil to other alternatives; ANWR / Off Coast drilling simply prolongs reliance on a resource that is not sustainable.

The right wing is spinning ANWR / Off Coast drilling as short term solutions for high gas prices. The most conservative estimates however indicate that it will be at least 5 years and more likely as much as 10 years before any gains from these drilling operations could begin to offset prices at the pump. It is a rock solid fact that neither ANWR nor Off Coast drilling can provide a short term solution for high oil and gas prices. Moreover, because oil is not a sustainable resource, they don't provide a long term solution either. We need to begin immediately to focus all of our efforts and research toward sustainable technologies such as nuclear, cellulose derived ethanol, solar, wind, and hydrogen fuel cells. This will ensure that we develop a long term solution that eliminates our dependence on oil.

The current hype with ANWR and Off Coast drilling is nothing more than an attempt by Big Oil (oil companies, oil lobby, and the current White House administration) to distract from the real issue and obtain additional drilling rights now while Bush is still in the White House under the pretext of it being a solution to our current energy crisis. At the very least, Bush and Cheney should both be indicted criminally under the RICO statute for their collusion with Big Oil in perpetrating this crime against the American people. Even better - lets try them as traitors and hang them.