Lets Start Drilling Again!
While there is little anyone in our industry can do regarding the turmoil in the Middle East, there is no question we, along with every other industry, are about to feel the effect of our continued dependence on oil from this unstable region.
Deroy Murdock, a media fellow with the Hoover Institution on War, Revolution and Peace at Stanford University, recently asked a question that deserves an answer. “May we drill now, please?”
After outlining a dozen ticking bombs in the Middle East in a recent article, Murdock calls the current administration on the carpet for treating the U.S. domestic petroleum supply like the Smithsonian’s Hope Diamond: Something to be observed and admired but not touched.
While this Association supports the 25x’25 vision — by 2025, America’s farms, forests and ranches will provide 25% of the total energy consumed in the U.S., while continuing to produce safe, abundant, and affordable food, feed and fiber — we also need to be concerned about the other 75% of our energy needs.
Murdock closes his article with, “Like it or not, America relies heavily on oil today, for jobs, commerce, and our very existence. Alas, oil comes mainly from an area that is as stable as a prison riot. ‘Precarious’ barely describes America’s predicament. And yet, a huge part of the solution — domestic oil and gas — lies just beneath our feet, if only President Barack Obama would let us open the basement door and light this dormant furnace.”
So now, we are among those voicing the question: May we drill now, please?
We continue to welcome the views of our members on topics that impact our industry and will provide space in this newsletter to share those opinions. Email your comments to Shortliner@FarmEquip.org. ◆