What happened to the energy crisis?

British Petroleum's Thunder Horse drilling platform helps to supply the lifeblood of our civilization - oil and gas.  Photo/BP Corp.

It was less than a year ago when gasoline prices hovered near four dollars per gallon and the entire nation was in an uproar over “energy policy.” Now, even though gasoline prices have climbed more than 50% from their levels at the beginning of the year, not a whisper is heard about what the government is doing to solve the supply problems.

The federal government is doing what it has been doing since the oil shortages of the 1970s – absolutely nothing. One of the promises made by His Holiness the Dali Obama during his ascendancy was that he was going to personally make America energy independent. In his coronation speech before the assembled multitudes at the Democratic National Convention last year, he said, “I will tap our natural gas reserves, invest in clean coal technology, and find ways to safely harness nuclear power. I'll help our auto companies re-tool, so that the fuel-efficient cars of the future are built right here in America. I'll make it easier for the American people to afford these new cars. And I'll invest 150 billion dollars [of other people’s money] over the next decade in affordable, renewable sources of energy - wind power and solar power and the next generation of biofuels…”

Well he has spent the money, but we are producing no more oil than we did before. President Obama has spoken eloquently about his vision of a green utopia, where windmills provide all the power needs of the entire nation, and automobiles run on clean fuel made from grass. Unfortunately for the president and his environmentalist supporters, our entire civilization rests upon an uninterrupted and abundant supply of oil, coal, and natural gas. Without it, we would have no electricity, central heating, running water, cars, trucks, airplanes, ships, factories, waterproof clothing, soda bottles, safety glass, sterile food and medical containers, air conditioners, televisions, microwave ovens, X-Boxes, I-Pods, or any of the millions of other products made using power generated from the burning of fossil fuels.

Even though it is not the proper role for the federal government, conducting research into alternative sources of energy is wise. However, in the meantime it would also be prudent to take steps to ensure our survival and standard of living by increasing the supply of the fuels we require now.

President Obama however, is in fact taking steps to ensure that the supply does not increase. In one of his first acts in office, his Interior Department secretary, Ken Salazar, blocked to the opening of the outer continental shelf to oil exploration. This move, according to the Interior Department’s own numbers, denies Americans access to more than ten billion barrels of oil and 45 trillion cubic feet of natural gas – enough to replace twelve years of Middle East oil imports and heat 60 million homes for ten years.

The increase in supply would also most likely reduce the price of these fuels, resulting in a tremendous boost to the economy, a reduction in overall consumer prices, lower utility bills, and cheaper gas at the pump.

Make no mistake – Obama and his allies have no interest in making this nation energy independent by using the technology at hand; fossil fuels and nuclear power. He has raised the gas mileage requirements for American auto makers, which will result in higher-priced and less-safe cars. The Democrats are pushing their trillion-dollar carbon tax (euphemistically referred to as “cap and trade”) that will cause skyrocketing utility bills for consumers and create upward price pressure on nearly everything we buy. Government environmental regulations have prevented critical refineries from being constructed for more than thirty years. The president knows perfectly well that windmills and biofuels cannot significantly reduce our need for oil and gas, but he intends to impose his green hell on us in the name of saving the planet from the discredited farce called global warming, and creating “green-collar jobs”.

This nation is one major catastrophe, terrorist attack, or Middle Eastern war away from $7 per gallon gasoline and $400 per month household electric bills. If Iran gets the atomic bomb and attacks Israel, or if Israel preemptively strikes Iran, the entire region could be consumed in a cataclysm that would bring oil production to a standstill. Terrorists could work with the active pirates in the Straits of Malacca and off the coast of Somalia to sink oil tankers in the straits and the Suez Canal, causing massive disruptions in the delivery of crude oil. Natural disasters or terrorists could damage or destroy the limited refining capacity in the United States, impairing supplies for years while new refineries are built.

Our modern and comfortable way of life rests upon these tenuous sea lines of communication and a handful of oil refineries, and our government is actively working to prevent the production of American oil and natural gas, thereby guaranteeing continued dependency on foreign suppliers. The energy crisis of last year has not been resolved, it is merely in remission and it will be back – count on it.