by Austin Cooper

Created on: March 15, 2009

Due to environmental extremists with government sway, drilling for domestic oil remains on our national to-do list. Though blessed with abundant resources, we continue to perplex-and sometimes please-various countries of the world by acting as if our energy never existed. Consequently, America bears the brunt of a crisis that could ultimately end in destruction.

Though it may seem rather elementary that Congress enacts policies that reflect public sentiment, perhaps the opposite has proven true. When it comes to energy, our leaders have sought to please environmental radicals and ignore the majority of their constituents. In a mere thirty years, we have transformed from the energy superpower that won the Cold War into a dependent beggar for the resources we own but don't produce.

Activists often find it easier to enact their agendas when the world is in a panic. For this reason, they announce the coming depletion of oil and scold America for being too greedy (oh and then charter a private jet). Though this tactic doesn't win them any compassion points, it's extremely effective in furthering their anti-energy ambitions.

No other place on earth is as blessed with energy resources as the United States of America! The misconception that America has hit a glass ceiling and doesn't have the energy to break through is absolutely ludicrous. Even more devastating than the effects of an Obama speech on the stock market is government bureaucracy on oil production! "Uhhhh...well look," as government regulation has grown, domestic production has taken a serious nose dive!

Because gravel roads and gravel drilling pads are relatively permanent, environmentalists claim that they scar the land's natural beauty. And all this time I was led to believe that gravel came from nature. How could I have been so badly mistaken?

Regardless, in order to appease this unproved claim, oil companies including British Petroleum and Shell have constructed ice roads and drilling pads that disappear after they've been utilized. Also, significant reductions in drill-site acreage and advances in drilling technology work to lessen the environmental impact of oil extraction. For many years, these companies have rightly invested millions of dollars into eco-friendly innovation yet are continually portrayed by many left-wing groups as the heartless rapists of the untamed wilderness.

In a blatant attempt to downplay the significance of energy exploration, opponents of oil drilling claim that it will take years for the new supplies to reach American markets. Late-night comedian, Jay Leno, put it best. "Democrats said [drilling for oil] wouldn't do any good, because it wouldn't produce oil for ten years. You know-the same thing they said ten years ago." Which brings up the age-old question: Why would anyone do anything that didn't incur instant gratification? Sadly it takes most politicians years to scrounge up an answer. (Why can't I get Bill Clinton out of my head?)

The United States is a storehouse of abundant fuel and the secret envy of most nations. Sadly our government stands in the way of our success. Claiming to protect the environment, Congress has enacted anti-energy legislation that stifles the American dream. However, all is not lost! In order to free ourselves from this bondage, we must come to a collective realization that American progressivism trumps environmental extremism. Then-and only then-are we promised a brighter future!

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