The cure to our country's insatiable oil-addiction is being administered in Seattle, and its application could not have come at a better time considering recent developments in Washington D.C.
On March 17, with a 51-49 vote, Senate Republicans managed to marshal their forces and kill a Democratic and moderate Republican effort to take out a provision on oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) from the 2006 Congressional budget resolution. The vote gives credence to the GOP-controlled House and the Bush administration, both of which favor drilling the oil out of ANWR.
No less dependence on imported oil
Here's the rub, drilling ANWR - considered by many to be the Serengeti of North America due to its pristine landscape and abundant wildlife - will not free Americans from their dependence on imported oil.
Says who? Well, good, old Uncle Sam.
According to a 2002 Department of Energy/Energy and Information Agency report entitled "The Effects of Alaska Oil and Natural Gas Provisions of H.R. 4 and S. 1766 on U.S. Energy Markets," drilling ANWR would contribute roughly 0.7 percent to the world's total oil output in 2020.
Additionally, a recently completed document by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service titled "Refuge Report on the Potential Impacts of Proposed Oil and Gas Development on the Arctic Refuge's Coastal Plain: Historical Overview and Issues of Concern" puts the supply in an even sharper perspective. In the report, a U.S. geological study concludes that, at America's current rate of consumption, ANWR holds a six-month supply for U.S. consumers.
Critters and environmental quality aside, it's apparent that drilling ANWR will benefit the select few in the petroleum industry who are tapped to undertake the complicated drilling of a fragile ecosystem while making a very minor impact on our domestic oil supply.
A win-win situation for all
So what will free Americans from their fossil-fuel addiction? In addition to educating folks on how to be more energy efficient while simultaneously developing mass transportation infrastructure like the light-rail system currently being laid down in parts of Seattle, our collective fossil-fuel jones can only be broken with a heavy application of alternative fuels.
One of the alternative-fuel movement's strongholds is right here in the Emerald City, where, according to the Ballard-based Dr. Dan's Alternative Fuel Works, consumption of plant oil-based biodiesel ranks among the highest in the nation.
Biodiesel is nontoxic, biodegradable, 100-percent renewable and domestically produced. It can be used in all diesel engines without any modifications at full strength or as a blend with petroleum-based diesel.
Additionally, using biodiesel significantly reduces the amount of harmful emissions without compromising engine performance or efficiency.
Crop-based fuels such as biodiesel encourage a natural partnering of America's rural, farming communities with its urban neighborhoods. Imagine Seattle in harmony with, say, Eastern Washington's Grant County in a mutual bid to use and grow fuel oils rather than drill for them. It's one of those situations that's a win-win for all.
A nonpartisan plan
Both ends of the political spectrum can agree on this: the traditionally conservative rural voter and the typically progressive urban voter. Actively encouraging the development of homegrown, plant-based alternative fuels is the ultimate nonpartisan, feel-good energy plan - unless you sold your financial and moral soul to the multinational oil companies.
When looking at the recent actions of our national leaders, it seems these giant corporations got a bargain for the spirits of the president, his advisors and most of the people sitting in Congress.
Erik Hansen is editor of the Beacon Hill News/South District Journal, an associate publication of the Herald-Outlook. He can be reached via e-mail at needitor@nwlink.com.
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