Stop drilling, you say?

Even Obama's not that crazy.  On April 30, Obama announced "I continue to believe that domestic oil production is an important part of our overall strategy for energy security, but I've always said it must be done responsibly, for the safety of our workers and our environment."

According to the Obama administration's EIA Energy Outlook, 78 percent of our energy usage in 2035 (that's more than two decades from now) will still come from fossil fuels.




But if the EIA says 78% of our 2035 energy needs will be provided by fossil fuels, how can we possibly wean America from all fossil fuels in the two decades?  Either the Sierra Club is calling for a massive reduction in America's energy usage and demand or they have very unrealistic expectations about the energy that can be supplied from renewable sources.  Or they just don't care so long what happens to America so long as we aren't using those evil, dirty fossil fuels.

I'm of the opinion that fossil fuels are undeniably dirty and have a high cost, but using them is far preferable than returning to the standard of living and way of life that Americans had prior to their usage.  Our modern lifestyle and conveniences would be impossible without fossil fuels.  The benefits have far outweighed the costs and continue to do so.

It's rare these days that I recommend reading anything Sarah Palin has to say, I do recommend reading her recent Facebook post in response to the Gulf oil spill.  Just words?  Perhaps... but energy is extremely important to America's security and our economy.  We can't let one oil spill, however tragic it turns out to be, let us forget that fossil fuels are still a vital to both and it will take several decades to even begin to wean ourselves from them.