My opponent and off-shore drilling

In a recent editorial in the Camden Herald, my opponent endorsed John McCain's plan to lift regulations on off-shore oil drilling. In his piece, Dr. Walker writes:

I remember a time when America's unions were fighting the outsourcing of American's manufacturing jobs by promoting the "Made in America" label. I thought that was a good idea. I think they should have used their platform last month to promote using oil that is "made in America," too.

While I whole-heartedly agree that the US needs to do everything it can to make our country energy independent, I have not seen one shred of proof to suggest that big oil companies will keep the oil in the United States and not sell it to the highest bidder on the open market if they are allowed to drill in environmentally protected areas. There is also no credible evidence to suggest that lifting the ban will bring the price of gas down. The only people who will benefit are the shareholders and CEOs of the Big Oil companies that have already enjoyed record profits during my opponent's party's national reign of the past eight years.

Although the issue of peak oil is one of my big concerns, the problem right now is not a shortage of oil. What we have now is an enormous demand for the black stuff from developing countries which pretty much ensures that the price of oil will not significantly go down - EVER. I've talked to folks on the campaign trail who have expressed their support for drilling in environmentally protected areas with the stipulation that the oil STAYS IN AMERICA. However, what I always have to ask is this:

Given the amount of power and excess our federal government has granted to big business, what makes you think it would enforce any effective regulation that would force the oil companies to comply with this proposal?

In a response to Dr. Walker's editorial, Jerry Call of Midcoast Healthcare Reform recently wrote:

Peter Drucker, a famous business consultant who aided in the creation of the automobile industry and General Motors in particular, once said, “The problem with the railroads was that they thought they were in the “railroad” business. They would be just as strong today if they had only realized they were in the transportation business.” Likewise, the oil industry needs to realize (for themselves and their stock holders) that they are in the “ENERGY” business and get with the renewable program. Just imagine if that one oil company that proudly proclaimed they had spent $41 Billion last year on oil exploration and research, had instead said that they had spent that money on developing a wind or solar farm like the one oil billionaire T. Boone Pickens has built.

I’m not anti business; I’m anti status quo when it is a clear detriment to America’s future.

Food for thought. Instead of "made in [insert nation of origin] oil," which has brought us war, global warming, and our current energy crisis, why not have "made in Maine renewable energy?" It's there and it's waiting for us to harness it. It's time for us to elect folks who have the courage to stand up to big money interests and invest in our future. Our addiction to fossil fuels is not going to be cured through off-shore drilling. We need to invest in renewable energy and we need to do it now.

Listen to Angus King's May 23 speech at Bowdoin College entitled "The Saudi Arabia of Wind: Confronting Maine's Energy Catastrophe" and you'll see what I mean.