| A "Stalking Horse" issue is an issue to divert | | | | Anwar issue is, simply, a way to find some one |
| attention from real issues, and its proponents | | | | to blame other than to blame the gluttony of the |
| would gladly debate it forever to avoid having to | | | | American people. The insatiable appetite of the |
| confront the real issues. The "issues" of drilling in | | | | American people that their every desire must be |
| Anwar and off the coast of American cities have | | | | fulfilled, their every whim satisfied. The American |
| little to do with the real issue of confronting our | | | | people who burn up 6 times as much oil per |
| dependency on oil as a fuel. | | | | person as people in the rest of the world. As we |
| A "Stalking Horse" is a horse that has been | | | | come to the end of the "Oil Age" we will need to |
| trained to stand in front and draw attention away | | | | move on to other energy sources. The real issue |
| from, obscure, and conceal the hunter. This | | | | is that we need to tell people what they can not |
| phrase has entered our language to describe an | | | | do whatever they want, that there are |
| issue that is intended to draw attention away | | | | consequences to their actions. |
| from, obscure, and conceal real issues. Proponents | | | | We don't know by what means we will propel |
| of the "Stalking Horse" issue will be delighted to | | | | vehicles after the "Oil Age". Will it be plug-in |
| discuss and debate their Stalking Horse issue | | | | electrics? And how will we generate the additional |
| indefinitely, if it will serve to avoid having to | | | | electricity? Or will the electricity be generated on |
| address the real issues. | | | | board from hydrogen fuel cells? Or will it be |
| Such an "issue" is: "Should we drill in Anwar?" and | | | | ethanol, perhaps from sugar cane as the Brazilians |
| the similar "issue" of: "Should we be drilling off the | | | | have so ably demonstrated, which might be a |
| coast of our cities?" | | | | boon to some Caribbean nations and some |
| There are some 60 MILLION square miles of the | | | | nations south of us that could surely use an |
| Earth's surface that are available for oil exploration | | | | economic boost? Or will the new fuels be made |
| and development. There are a few areas | | | | from fats or oils from crops, or oils from algae? |
| representing a tiny portion of that, that were put | | | | Or will it be with compressed natural gas? Or will it |
| "off limits" for what seemed at the time to be | | | | be some other technology, or some combination |
| for some very good and valid reasons. And no | | | | of all of the above. |
| one really even knows if there actually are | | | | And what we clearly need to do while we are |
| commercially attractive quantities of oil in those | | | | developing these alternatives, is to conserve the |
| "off limit" areas. If Congress does authorize drilling | | | | remaining supply of oil. To drive the most fuel |
| in Anwar and off the coast of American cities, it | | | | efficient vehicle we can find, and to drive it at |
| will take years to bid out the rights to various | | | | moderate speeds and with gradual acceleration to |
| parcels. More years to do detailed geological | | | | get the best fuel economy we can. When |
| studies to determine where, and whether, there | | | | practical, we need to car pool, ride public |
| are in fact promising sites for oil development, | | | | transportation, move closer to the work place, |
| and to drill test wells to verify that those sites | | | | and otherwise avoid wasting this precious |
| are commercially attractive. Then it will take | | | | resource. As we have seen when gasoline got to |
| many additional years to drill production wells and | | | | $5 a gallon,that finally got people's attention. The |
| build the pipelines and other infrastructure required | | | | best way to achieve this is to make gasoline |
| to bring that oil to refineries. The rosiest | | | | expensive - add on taxes to drive the price up to |
| projections are that the first drops of oil from | | | | where it will influence behavior. And high prices will |
| these areas might begin to be available in about | | | | create the public demand that will spur the |
| 10 years, and full production in 15 to 20 years. | | | | development of more efficient vehicles, vehicles |
| And no, there was no movement to open up | | | | that use alternative fuels, and spur the |
| drilling in Anwar and off the coast of American | | | | development of those fuels. |
| cities 15 to 20 years ago - there were millions of | | | | Is there any doubt that the "issues" of drilling in |
| square miles of other more accessible and more | | | | Anwar and off the coast of American cities have |
| commercially attractive sites to be explored and | | | | little to do with the real issue of confronting our |
| developed. | | | | dependency on oil as a fuel. At most, any |
| But according to conspiracy theorists, it is | | | | additional oil we will eventually get from these |
| because those areas are "off limits" that is the | | | | sources can only perpetuate our dependence a |
| sole reason why we have a problem with oil! "The | | | | little longer. And yet, a major political party has |
| Government doesn't want us to be energy | | | | made this "Stalking Horse" a cornerstone of their |
| independent!" "If it weren't for preventing the | | | | energy policy! They have nominated a vice |
| development of those areas we would have | | | | presidential candidate whose chief qualification |
| plenty of oil!" | | | | seems to be that she is an ardent supporter of |
| The real issue is that the world is burning up oil as | | | | drilling in Anwar. |
| fast as we can pump it out of the ground. The | | | | |