Energy Politics

Remember when President Kennedy said that we could put a man on the moon, but then changed his mind and said that it was too much work, and it was going to cost a lot of money, and people in 1961 weren’t going to see any immediate benefits of the space program?

Or when President Grant was about to pound the golden spike into the railroad at Promontory, Utah, but then checked his swing and said it wasn’t worth it to make a transcontinental railroad, because it it was too much work, and it was going to cost a lot of money, and people in 1869 weren’t going to see any immediate benefits of the railroad?

No, you don’t remember those events? Well, here’s the reason why. BECAUSE THEY DIDN’T HAPPEN. Kennedy DID push for the space program. Grant DID push for the Transcontinental Railroad. These men didn’t buckle under pressure because things were going to be hard. They saw a need, and they filled that need.

So why, dear readers, why is there all this negative backlash against developing ANWR province in Alaska, or offshore drilling? Why do people poopoo these needed advancements by saying that it will take years to see the benefit of increased production? You know what? Yeah, it might take years, so let’s get started on it now.

But it will cost a lot of… NO!

But it will take hard wo… NO!

But it’s all new and confusing…. NO! NO! NO! NO!

My goodness people, what has happened to us here? Have we become a country that is no longer capable of doing things? Do we have to throw a whiny little hissy fit every time we’re asked to get out of our comfort zones, get our hands dirty and accomplish some great goal that might make things better for future generations?

It might be until 2018 before ANWR is actually producing at decent levels. So what? I’m sure the people in 2018, when they’re looking back a decade ago, will be wondering why we dragged our feet and avoided starting development. And you know what? If we had started in 1998, we’d be seeing the benefit off the reserves today. No one wants to be the people who had to make the sacrifice. It’s someone else’s job to do the hard work so we get the benefits for free.

Well screw that noise. I say develop it, and develop it now!

–Stephen Payne, Editor, Oil and Gas Investor This Week; www.OilandGasInvestor.com; spayne@hartenergy.com

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