Should the U.S. Drill Its Own Oil?

With the rising gas prices no where near slowing down, Americans are contemplating using their own resources to combat the problem. Oil reserves currently are located offshore and also in some regions of Alaska previously not opened to drilling. However, is this really the right thing to do? Is it worth the possible environmental consequences to lower prices?

I don't believe so. First of all, there are varied estimates on what amount of oil could be provided by these sources, especially the untouched Alaskan reserves. Predictions range from 6 months to 2 years. This amount of oil would hardly offset the foreign oil usage, and probably would not lower prices by noticeable amount.

Furthermore, obtaining oil causes numerous hazards to the environment, ranging from the actual drilling process to possible spills. Though there are precautions that are taken to prevent these disasters, the immense damage that they cause mean that we should not even take the slightest risk.

The amount of money that would need to be spent would cause another blow to national budget. Personally, I believe that there are many other aspects of our country that could use the spending, including education and investments into renewable energy.

The main problem is not that we need more oil, but that we rely too much on oil. One positive effect of high gas prices is that people and businesses trying to reduce their usage of the precious commodity. Really, reducing the amount of fossil fuels we use and exploring alternative sources are the best strategies for this energy crisis.

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