The soon-to-be former governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin, proclaimed in a Washington Post article July 14th, that the American .jpg)
Clean Energy and Security Act, (ACES), or what she refers to as “the president’s cap and trade energy tax”, will “inflict permanent damage” on our economy, and she recommends drilling for oil in ANWR instead.
First of all, ACES is legislation designed to reduce greenhouse emissions and help combat global warming and climate change. It is the first-ever climate bill to see the legislative light of day.
In the New York Times this morning, Senator John Kerry (D-MA) was quoted as saying:
“Yes, she manages to write about the climate change action in Congress without ever mentioning the reason we are doing this in the first place,” Mr. Kerry wrote. “It’s like complaining about the cost of repairing a roof without factoring in the leaks destroying your home.”
So, where is Palin really headed with this argument?
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is one of the largest, most fragile and ecologically sensitive ecosystems on the planet. It is the only protected area in the world that includes an intact arctic, subarctic, and boreal ecosystem. The refuge encompasses 19 million acres and provides habitat to a diverse array of wildlife including millions of migratory birds, caribou, wolves, dall sheep, muskoxen, arctic and red foxes, wolverines, and bears; including the black bear, grizzly, and the majestic polar bear.
Palin admits that the U.S. should become less dependent on “foreign energy sources”, and that we should “protect the environment”, but suggests the president’s way is not the way to do it.
The former Alaskan governor doesn’t offer any suggestions on how to protect the environment in her Washington Post op-ed-ish piece, but she had this to say about energy:
We can safely drill for U.S. oil offshore in a tiny, 2000-acre corner of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, if ever given the go-ahead by Washington bureaucrats.
The reason the “go-ahead by Washington bureaucrats” has not been given, in spite of the Bush administration’s intense effort to do so, is because the American people have repeatedly made their voices heard and they do not approve of drilling in one of the last pristine places on the planet, to further America’s dependency on fossil fuels.
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is known as the “Crown Jewel of the Circumpolar North” and it is a “publicly owned” refuge that belongs to all Americans; not just Alaskans.
The Congress and Senate have wisely listened to their constituents, who can read and are smarter than conservatives, including Sarah Palin, give them credit for. The white papers of the U.S. Department of Energy indicate that if drilling started in ANWR tomorrow, it would take 8-10 years before Americans would experience any relief at the gas pumps. Then, it would be another 10 years before it reached full capacity.
The “tiny, 2000-acrea corner” of ANWR that Palin refers to in her never ending quest to drill for more oil, is known as the coastal plain and it happens to be smack-dab in the middle of a narrow corridor used by the state’s porcupine caribou herd. Each year they traverse the long passage to a critical habitat, where few predators exist, and forage is plentiful. All of which comprises the one place caribou have been dependent upon every year for successful calving grounds. Indigenous people depend on healthy caribou herds.
There is no such thing as a drilling an oil well with a “small foot print” in an ecologically sensitive area the size of 1,500 football fields. It doesn’t matter if the pad is constructed of gravel or compacted ice or that modern technology has improved since the Prudhoe Bay well was constructed. There would still be roads and buildings installed, with all the noise that aircraft, trucks, machinery, and human activity can produce. There would be thousands of miles of overland pipeline. The project would adversely impact not only caribou, but polar bears, who migrate inland to dig birthing caves in the snow.
Sarah Palin is not oblivious to these facts, because they have been testified to by some of Alaska’s own scientists. Previously, there have been letters sent to President Clinton, signed by 21 Arctic biologists from the U.S. and Canada, urging permanent protection for ANWR. President Bush received a letter signed by over 500 prominent North American scientists urging the protection of the coastal plain to safeguard caribou and other natural resources.
Palin is interested in challenging the president’s energy bill, for one self-serving reason: the production of the Prudhoe Bay oil well is decreasing and the Alaskan economy needs a new source of revenue. Twenty years ago, Prudhoe Bay was producing 10 million barrels of oil per day and it has decreased to the current level of 1.4 million barrels per day.
The people of Alaska support drilling in ANWR for the same reason, because every year, residents get a substantial oil revenue check.
President Obama’s climate and energy bill is the best hope the United States has for investing in renewable energy sources like wind, solar, fuel cells; and creating green energy jobs for a sustainable future. The answer does not lie in big oil scare tactics. Nor will our country be weaned off fossil fuels by continuing to plunder Earth’s natural resources to suck it dry of a non-renewable commodity.
Sarah Palin’s article is so full of blatant misconceptions; a person has to wonder if she even bothered to read the climate legislation that was passed with the help of eight Republicans. However, the big question remains: did Sarah Palin decide to become an environmental, energy, and economic expert before or after she resigned as governor of Alaska?
***
Readers might also be interested in these articles:
What Palin got wrong about energy, by Barbara Boxer and John kerry
Eight Republicans refused to drink the conservative kool aid
ACES may be too late to help wildlife
For photo credit run cursor over photograph * Copyright Jean Williams 2009 * Author also writes under pen name DelilahStarling. Permission to reprint up to three paragraphs with a direct “read full story” back to this page. Contact creatinggreenpiece@juno.com
Comments
Wow! Blistering indictment of Sarah Palin!
And right on!
Palin is so disgusting. A quiter and a loser.
How is it that Republicans love her?
She is simple-minded like George W and Ronald Reagan. Her problem is she thinks she is intelligent enough to take her own path rather than serving as a tool for the wealthy right who simply want more of everything and freedom from prosecution for anything. They don't know if they can trust her to shut up and do what she is told. Reagan and Bush performed, but this little monkey may not stay on the organ grinders leash.
Palin provides living proof that championship legs and high intelligence do not necessarily go leg-in-leg.
Clearly Palin doesn't have a full grasp of what she is talking about. Her article reads more like someone who got their talking points from Fox news.
Blistering comments? Coming from someone who wished she had just half of the backbone and moral compass that Palin enjoys?
I find it ironic that you can always tell someone is losing credibility and focus when they resort to making Palin the butt of a joke.
Try reporting on something of real value like:
"A U.S. Army Reserve major from Florida scheduled to report for deployment to Afghanistan within days has had his military orders revoked after arguing he should not be required to serve under a president who has not proven his eligibility for office."
Since he forced the question and won the argument, his employer was forced to fire him by the DoD.
"According to the CEO of Simtech Inc., a private company contracted by the Defense Security Services, an agency of the Department of Defense, the federal government has compelled the termination of Maj. Stefan Frederick Cook."
Nothing like a heavy-handed government with tyrannical powers...nah let's get back to caribou and g
TAP has a classic case of kill-the-messenger syndrom.
It certainly isn't a joke when an elected, high profile government official shows a fundamental lack of understanding of legislation that was passed with the help of members of her own party.
Her objective was to plug drilling for oil in ANWR. And oh, BTW, she also suggests blowing up more mountain tops in "other states, who have resources" got get at the coal.
In addition you are a real chump to come on here to insult the author for writing a factual piece about someone who losses credibility every time she sticks her neck up from the fishing boat.
Using this comment space to grind your own ax about what is important in your Universe, also shows a general lack of class.
Hey Tap, that's hilarious what you said about Palin's moral compass! You have got to be kidding? She's an opportunistic, calculating nitwit! And by the way, what's with your off-topic rant! How about you stay on topic or go get your own column!
Great article Jean! Lots of factual information, facts the Palin worshipers can't handle.
TAP defends Sarah Palin's "moral compass".
This is the ex-vice presidential candidate, who had a pregnant teenage daughter, who wasn't married. But it was not big deal, because she and the babie's father were in love and would be married soon.
Yeah, right. As soon as McCain lost the race, Bristal Palin's former fiance, Levi Johnson, ran the opposite direction like his hair was on fire.
How does one's moral compass lead them to suggest paying a bounty to hunters who cut off the paw of a dead wolf?
Moral compass, my a---!
Excellent story! Keep up the great work.
As allways facts are twisted and the whole impact of anwr drilling never gets the full story. The democrats are worse than the republicans at twisting up the story and playing upon emotions. The real bottom line is that anwr drilling can be done without impacting wildlife but it is too little too late. The reserves never would impact our current foriegn oil dependancies because there is not enough recoverable oil. I urge all involved to stick to the facts and not rely upon cuddly polar bear pictures to make your points.
Kyle, who died and left you the ANWR biologist in charge? First thing you should do is bone up on your spelling.
Democrats are worse than Republicans at "twisting things up and playing on emotions." Are you serious? There were plenty of varifiable facts and links in this article, including a 5 page testimonial by an Alaskan biologist, urging that no drilling on the coastal plain be allowed.
Drilling compounds with thousands of miles of overland pipe can be installed "without impacting wildlife"? Common sense alone would tell any reasonable person that isn't true.
According to information from one of the links in this article, if caribou are forced to have their calves in higher regions, they are more subject to predation and starvation. Also, polar bears and other arctic wildlife, can be frightened enough by human activity to abandon their young.
I didn't see a picture of a cuddly polar bear on this article, but you should take your own advice and stick to the facts.
It's never too late to do 'the right thing'...
Palin and her followers keep saying we must rid ourselves of "dependence on foreign oil". They might be right, although issuing drilling permits to Shell Oil Co. of Texas is not the way. Shell Oil Co. is 50% owned by Royal Dutch Shell of the Netherlands and guess who owns the other 50% - Oh gosh, I guess I'll tell you even if it louses up your day. The government......of Saudi Arabia. Time to check your facts before you blindly follow Sarah and her FOREIGN sponsors.
Babble Sarah Babble---
"No trace of the Valdez oil spill can be found. The local fishing economy has fully recovered. The money from fines fully compensated all damage. A spill this large can never happen again. We'll start with 2,000 acres to get out "nose inside the tent". We can now directionally drill from Oklahoma into ANWR. Don't worry about a thing, it is now a political issue." Live from saturaday Night Sara, It's "Saturday Night Lies".
Palin was for "cap and trade" before she was against it.
Palin obviously has decided to work for the oil companies.
Regardless of whether we were to drill in ANWR, we still need to develop alternate energy sources. Anywhere from the next ten years to the next thirty years, we will pass our peak in oil resources. Unless we have other sources of energy, the world is going to become a much more tumultuous place than it already is. As oil prices skyrocket, our whole transportation system will be in danger of collapsing.
A bazaar environmentalist rant at best. One thing Williams is consistent on is a constant lack of facts. Over 2/3rds of all votes taken in Congress on ANWR in the past 29 years have been in favor of exploration! In 1995 Congress passed ANWR legislation only to be vetoed by Clinton, because "it would take 10 years..blah blah blah". So 10 years later, "it would take 10 years", and 10 years after that..."it would take 10 years". Does Williams actually have a brain? Last month the caribou population figures for Prudhoe Bay were released, 66,000 animals. In 1975 there were roughly 5000. So I guess oil fields really do scare them away? The Alaska Dept of Fish and Game even says in their reports on Arctic caribou management that "all their goals...have been met" to keep the herds healthy. And just think they migrate right smack through the largest oil field in North America! Gosh there are dead caribou everywhere...can't you see them? Drop the rhetoric Williams its pathetic!
Jean Williams,
HERE'S YOUR SIGN
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!