Energy Inanity From Edwards

Democrats have no concept of strategic planning. They're all about today and what they're "feeling" right now. That's why whenever there is a spike in oil prices some Democrat runs to the microphone demanding that the United States release oil from our strategic oil reserve. This time it's John Edwards' turn:

CONCORD, N.H. — Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards will outline a plan Sunday to provide immediate relief to families struggling with high heating oil bills and to ensure affordable prices in the future.

Noting that home heating oil prices in New Hampshire have surpassed $3 a gallon, the former North Carolina senator is calling on Congress to release some of the nation's home heating oil and crude oil reserves as a way to bring down prices by increasing supply. He also is urging Congress to fully fund the federal Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, according to a copy of his plan provided to The Associated Press.

The effect of such a release would not dramatically reduce prices for anybody and it certainly wouldn't ensure affordable prices in the future. The whole premise is wrong.

Let's just say the government went along with Edwards and released a bunch of oil into the system. Would they then just allow the depletion to remain? No, they'd go right out and buy more oil at the current inflated pricing to replace what was released because it's vital to national security to keep our reserves stocked up. The U.S. would be replacing lower cost oil with higher cost oil, and at the same time would put increased demand on the world's oil production, thus guaranteeing that prices would stay high.

The reason we keep those reserves is to protect the U.S. economy (not to mention our military) from immediate harm in the event there was another oil shortage or embargo of some type like we saw in the 70's. The current high prices are a problem for lots of people, but they are not the result of a shortage of supplies, but of increased demand on the world market and a shortage of refining capacity. Releasing our strategic reserves would have little effect on the world demand and until they could be replaced it would leave us more vulnerable.

Do you want to know how to make much more fuel available quickly? First of all, build more refineries. There hasn't been a new refinery built in the U.S. in 25 years.

Secondly, build more nuclear power plants. Replacing oil-fired plants with nukes would greatly increase available oil supplies.

Third, eliminate the multiple grades and blends of gasoline we have in the country. At last count there was something like 25 different blends of gas required by different states at different times of the year (California has a winter and summer blend). This creates problems at refineries which must shut down to change over to different formulations and makes managing the supply system a nightmare. Having one blend that's usuable in all 50 states would greatly streamline production and make more gasoline available, thus reducing prices. With more refining capacity available, the costs of other refined products (such as heating oil) would surely drop as well.

However, you won't see Edwards or any other Democrat promoting that idea because it's become eco-nut orthodoxy that each state have its own special seasonal blends of gasoline based on its pollution situation. I'm sure, however, that it would be possible to come up with a blend that would work well in Los Angeles while at the same time working well in Omaha.

And fourth, let's stop all the NIMBYism and start doing what's best for the country by allowing oil drilling in those areas around the nation where oil deposits are thought to exist, such as the offshore tracts of Florida, California, the Gulf of Mexico, and of course, ANWR in Alaska. Don't tell me how patriotic you are and then refuse to allow oil drilling in your area (or offshore wind farms) because it might mess up your view or because there could be an accident someday. If you do that, you're putting yourself ahead of the needs of your country and that's not the definition of patriotism.

We need to be able to get at all the oil that's out there, and if we were able to drill wherever there was a good chance of oil, American prices would be dramatically lower. China is now working with Cuba to drill in the Gulf of Mexico less than a 100 miles from Florida. Why can't we go after that oil too? Let's tell the environmental lobbies to shut up and let's get drilling.

Finally, let's quit messing up the world's food supplies by trying to make fuel out of corn. It's a very inefficient method of creating fuel and about all it does is drive up the price of corn to where it's going to create food shortages in some of the poorer areas of the world. If we go get the oil we already suspect is available to us, we can go back to eating corn instead of trying to make exotic fuels out of it.