FW: [Campfire] Fw: Message from Redford on energy security

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The Big Bobser

-----Original Message-----From: Vicky Sent: Friday, November 02, 2001 2:50 PMTo: campfire_religion Subject: [Campfire] Fw: Message from Redford on energy security> Dear Friend,> > It is understandable that we Americans feel an almost reflexive need > for unanimity in trying times like these. As a nation, we are rightly > consumed with responding to the terrorist attacks on September 11th. > But, at some point -- and I think we're beginning to get there -- we > need to take a long-term view even as we are reacting to the current > crisis. Really important domestic issues facing us before all of this > happened -- education, energy and the environment, health care -- > still have the same dimension and consequence. But we have to > recognize that it's much more difficult to discuss and debate them in > the aftermath of Sept. 11th. Unfortunately, disagreement is sometimes > characterized as unpatriotic during times such as these and open, > thoughtful discourse is somewhat muted. The gravity of the current > situation is not lost on any of us and we all want to do what's right > to insure our national security. It is with this in mind that I felt > compelled to write you today.> > A handful of determined U.S. senators, encouraged by the White House, > are arguing that national security requires the Senate to rush a > pro-oil energy bill into law. They have vowed to hold up normal Senate > business and attach the bill to every piece of legislation that comes > to the Senate floor. So far they have failed in what The Boston Globe > is calling "oil opportunism." But with President Bush, himself, now > calling for rushed passage of this disastrous bill, intense pressure > is building on Senate leaders to succumb to the emotions of the > moment. Using our national tragedy as an opportunity to advance the > narrow interests of the oil lobby would not be in the best interest of > the public. This bill, already passed by the House, would not only > open the Arctic Refuge to oil rigs, it would also pave the way for > energy companies to exploit and destroy pristine areas of Greater > Yellowstone and other gems of our natural heritage. As important, it > would do nothing to address energy security.> > I'm asking for your immediate help in stopping this legislation. After > reading my letter I hope you'll take action at > http://www.savebiogems.org/arctic/index.asp?src=ab0110a and then > forward this letter to your friends and colleagues.> > Last spring, the Bush administration and some members of Congress said > we had to pass the president's oil-friendly energy bill because we > were facing the most serious energy crisis since 1973. But here we > are, a mere six months later, and the energy crisis has vanished. Due > to a slowing economy and falling demand, the prices for gasoline, > natural gas and home heating oil have plunged. Meanwhile, the > much-feared "summer of blackouts" in California never happened, > largely because consumers and businesses made dramatic cuts in energy > use by launching the most successful statewide conservation campaign > in history.> > With no energy crisis to scare us with, the administration and pro-oil > senators are now promoting their "Drill the Arctic" plan under the > guise of national security and energy independence. Don't buy it. It > would take ten years to bring Arctic oil to market, and when it > arrives it would never equal more than two percent -- a mere drop in > the bucket -- of all the oil we consume each year. Our nation simply > doesn't have enough oil to drill our way to energy independence or > even to affect world oil prices. > > We possess a mere 3 percent of the world's oil reserves, but we > consume fully 25 percent of the world's oil supply. We could drill the > Arctic Refuge, Greater Yellowstone, and every other wildland in > America and we'd still be importing oil, still be paying worldwide > prices for domestic oil, and still be vulnerable to wild gyrations in > price and supply. As The Atlanta Constitution put it: "Burning through > our tiny oil supply faster will not make our country more secure." I'd > go further: increasing our dependence on oil, whether that oil comes > from the Persian Gulf or the Arctic Refuge, practically guarantees > national *insecurity*. And we know that it will bring more habitat > destruction, more oil spills, more air pollution, and more global > warming. The public health implications will be devastating.> > If our nation wants to declare energy independence, then we have no > choice but to reduce our appetite for oil. There's no other way. We > need to rely on smarter and cleaner ways to power our economy. We have > the technology right now to increase fuel economy standards to 40 > miles per gallon. If we phased in that standard by 2012 we'd save 15 > times more oil than the Arctic Refuge is likely to produce over 50 > years. We could also give tax rebates for existing hybrid gas-electric > vehicles that get as much as 60 mpg. We could invest in public > transit. We could launch an "Apollo Project" to bring fuel cells and > hydrogen fuel down to earth, allowing us to begin the mass production > of vehicles that emit only water as a by-product. The list goes on and > on.> > In this climate of national trauma and war, it is up to us -- the > people -- to ensure that reason prevails and our natural heritage > survives intact. The preservation of irreplaceable wildlands like the > Arctic Refuge and Greater Yellowstone is a core American value. I have > never been more appreciative of the wisdom of that value than during > these past few weeks. When we are filled with grief and unanswerable > questions it is often nature that we turn to for refuge and comfort. > In the sanctuary of a forest or the vastness of the desert or the > silence of a grassland, we can touch a timeless force larger than > ourselves and our all-too-human problems. This is where the healing > begins. Those who would sell out this natural heritage -- this > spiritual heritage -- would destroy a wellspring of American strength. > What's worse, their rush to exploit the wildness that feeds our souls > won't do a thing to solve our energy problems.> > There are plenty of sensible and patriotic ways to guarantee our > nation's energy security, but destroying the Arctic Refuge is not one > of them. Please tell that to your senators. They urgently need to hear > it because the pressure is on to move this pro-oil bill to a vote in > the next few weeks. It will take you only a minute to send them an > electronic message from NRDC's SaveBioGems website. > > Go to http://www.savebiogems.org/arctic/index.asp?src=ab0110a> > And please forward this message to your family and friends. Millions > of Americans need to know about this cynical attempt to promote the > interests of energy companies at the expense of everyone else.> > Sincerely yours,> > Redford> __________________________________________________