The Obama administration is
poised to ban offshore oil drilling on the outer continental shelf
until 2012 or beyond. Meanwhile, Russia is making a bold strategic
leap to begin drilling for oil in the Gulf of Mexico. While the
United States attempts to shift gears to alternative fuels to battle
the purported evils of carbon emissions, Russia will erect oil
derricks off the Cuban coast.
Offshore oil production makes
economic sense. It creates jobs and helps fulfill America's vast
energy needs. It contributes to the gross domestic product and does
not increase the trade deficit. Higher oil supply helps keep a lid on
rising prices, and greater American production gives the United
States more influence over the global market.
Drilling is also wildly
popular with the public. A Pew Research Center poll from February
showed 63 percent support for offshore drilling for oil and natural
gas. Americans understand the fundamental points: The oil is there,
and we need it. If we don't drill it out, we have to buy it from
other countries. Last year, the U.S. government even helped Brazil
underwrite offshore drilling in the Tupi oil field near Rio de
Janeiro. The current price of oil makes drilling economically
feasible, so why not let the private sector go ahead and get our oil?
The Obama administration,
however, views energy policy through green eyeshades. Every aspect of
its approach to energy is subordinated to radical environmental
concerns. This unprecedented lack of balance is placing offshore oil
resources off-limits. The O Force would prefer the country shift its
energy production to alternative sources, such as nuclear, solar and
wind power. In theory, there's nothing wrong with that, in the long
run, assuming technology can catch up to demand. But we have not yet
reached the green utopia, we won't get there anytime soon, and
America needs more oil now.
Russia more sensibly views
energy primarily as a strategic resource. Energy is critical to
Russia's economy, as fuel and as a source of profit through export.
Russia also has used energy as a coercive diplomatic tool, shutting
off natural gas piped to Eastern Europe in the middle of winter to
make a point about how dependent the countries are that do business
with the Russians.
Now Russia is using oil
exploration to establish a new presence in the Western Hemisphere. It
recently concluded four contracts securing oil-exploration rights in
Cuba's economic zone in the Gulf of Mexico. A Russian-Cuban joint
partnership will exploit oil found in the deep waters of the Gulf.
Cuba has rights to the area
in which drilling will be conducted under an agreement the Carter
administration recognized. From Russia's perspective, this is another
way to gain leverage inside what traditionally has been America's
sphere of influence. It may not be as dramatic as the Soviet Union
attempting to use Cuba as a missile platform, but in the energy wars,
the message is the same. Russia is projecting power into the Western
Hemisphere while the United States retreats. The world will not
tolerate a superpower that acts like a sidekick much longer.