Birds, Bats, and Bears

As a country we need to stop our foolishness. Really. We cannot afford it anymore.

I am talking about our foolish insistence of holding ourselves hostage to not the survival, but the convenience of animals. Ten years ago we could afford to be concerned that Alaskan polar bears might not want to live next to oil rigs. We could debate the problem of birds and bats possibly or not possibly hitting windmills. Power was cheap and the economy was strong. No more.

Our national security depends upon our national economy. Our national economy runs on accessible energy and transportation. Without these things, our economy would adjust, but only after a painful transition.

George W. Bush saw this coming and proposed an energy plan some years ago. This plan would research a variety of energy sources while opening up the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge to drilling for oil. The Republican Congress did not approve it due to skittishness over the upcoming election. Most of those don't have to worry about campaigning this year.

Had we listened to the foresight of Bush, we would not be experiencing many of the shortage problems we have now and Alaskan wildlife would be fine. White tailed deer and black bears thrive in the eastern United States. I doubt a few oil wells and pipelines would hurt wildlife in that area. ANWAR is the size of our smallest states. There is plenty of room for animals and oil production. I would predict that if it is possible, President Bush will open at least part of it to oil drilling near the end of his term via executive order.

Some propose that we lessen our dependency upon oil by driving hybrid cars. Not a bad idea and it is also a logical market reaction. The more we depend upon hybrid vehicles, the more we will need to expand production of coal while harnessing wind and water. As I pointed out recently, West Virginia has ample clean energy potential to supplement our coal. Our country needs it all. However there are some out there who would place the welfare of bats and birds above restoring sanity to the energy market. I'm sorry. When we and our neighbors struggle to pay our bills because the energy supply is constricting, we must expand the supply. Bring on the windmills! Start drilling for and using the natural gas resources that lie under our state.

People are more important than bears, birds, and bats. It is time to put some energy into finding solutions before we reach a full blown national crisis.