Exploring, drilling for oil in country’s long-term interests
Recently, Prof. Donald G. Richards, professor of economics at Indiana State University, shared his thoughts on candidate Greg Goode’s energy policy.
What Prof. Richards failed to mention in his letter is that Greg Goode has never made such a claim. Our drilling for oil in ANWR would indeed not meet 100 percent of our energy demands. But it certainly would not make the problem worse. Had we started drilling for oil in ANWR when it was first proposed in the ’80s, we could be utilizing those energy resources within our country, creating hundreds — if not thousands — of jobs for Americans, and bringing literally billions of dollars back into our economy. I’m not sure what Prof. Richards thinks of more energy, more jobs, and more money in our economy, but that sure sounds like solid economics to me.
Prof. Richards went on to write that “exploiting” natural resources found in ANWR alone would reduce our dependence on imported oil by 4 percent. I would agree that 4 percent sounds like a small number, but that doesn’t mean it’s insignificant. I’m sure Prof. Richards would enjoy owning 4 percent of the land in California, 4 percent of the sales tax monies collected on goods sold in Indiana for one day, or even 4 percent of the daily take at all the restaurants on the campus where he works.
