Americans Want To Drill Here

The idea started by Newt Gingrich has taken hold. No doubt that all the discussion surrounding the need to utilize our national resources got it’s start by the “Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less” campaign.

From a recent Gallop poll:

A majority of Americans (57%) interviewed in a mid-May Gallup Panel survey approve of expanding drilling for oil in offshore and wilderness areas considered to be off-limits.

A Rasmussen Reports telephone survey from June 13, 2008, states:

67% of voters believe that drilling should be allowed off the coasts of California, Florida and other states. Only 18% disagree and 15% are undecided. Conservative and moderate voters strongly support this approach, while liberals are more evenly divided (46% of liberals favor drilling, 37% oppose).

Rasmussen also shows that Americans across the spectrum favor drilling:

85% of Republicans are in favor of offshore drilling as opposed to 57% of Democrats and 60% of unaffiliated voters.

One result in their survey bothered me:

Voters also believe 61% to 22% that oil companies should be required to reinvest at least a portion of their profits into alternative energy research. On this question, liberal and moderate voters are strongly supportive of the proposal while conservatives are more evenly divided (47% of conservatives in favor, 35% opposed)

I highly disagree with any government telling my business how to spend it’s money. In this case, ultimately it will be Americans who will take the hit on this. Remember that stock in “big oil” is owned by pension plans and other retirement funds. Less money made by “big oil” means less money in your pocket at retirement.

In the short run we may not see a drop in gas prices, but in the long run I believe the market will demand that it happens. In addition, I see gas production as a surer thing than alternate energies, because they are not ready for mass production. Ethanol sounded like a great idea to me initially, but now see how much it has put a hurt on our food supply, creating higher prices on anything with corn. Throw that in there along with $130+ barrels of oil and your food budget shrinks.

In addition to allowing drilling, we need do something about our refineries, such as making it easier to build them. I have heard that a new refinery has not been built in the US since the 1970s. We need newer and more efficient refineries. All that oil has got to be processed somewhere, why not here?

The Gallop survey quoted above is at this link. The Rasmussen report quoted above is at this link. Don’t forget to sign the Drill Here Drill Now Pay Less petition here.