The Decision to Drill

The Republicans finally got something done. After a year of failures and embarrassments, the GOP was able to pass a major piece of legislation that Republican presidents have tried to pass since the days of Ronald Reagan. This tax overhaul has been in the news for months and this conclusion makes it almost seem like an ending to a movie. There was even a motivational speech given by the President afterwards where he gushed over his colleagues in Congress (deciding to forget the insults he hurled at them this year). In turn, Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell gushed over the President. Ryan cited Trump�s �exquisite presidential leadership� as a factor in getting the bill passed and McConnell rattled off a list of the president�s accomplishments this year.

Some highlights from the President's celebratory speech.

            I listened to the speech and couldn�t help but laugh a little on the inside because had this bill not passed, there would have been a series of tweets from the president slamming Ryan and McConnell. Trump has attacked Ryan and McConnell on Twitter before calling Ryan, �Our very weak and ineffective leader,� in October of 2016. Trump has never liked Ryan and Ryan has never liked Trump, so these compliment-filled speeches only amount to artificial praise and nothing more.

            Tax reform is not exciting in the least and I have previously described it as the C-SPAN of issues in our country. As I looked into the contents of this legislation, I found something not entirely related to taxes and much less boring.

            One of the lesser discussed components of this tax bill was that it opens portions of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska (over 1.5 million acres) to oil drilling. Paul Ryan stated that, �After decades and decades in this chamber, we are opening up a small non-wilderness area of the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge for responsible development.� There is an estimated 10.4 billion barrels of oil beneath the refuge that oil companies and Republicans have been trying to open up for over forty years.

The Alaska National Wildlife Refuge

            The passage of this bill is a major defeat for environmental interest groups who have made the defense of that region against drilling a major component of their mission. Democrats and these groups can only hope for the 2018 midterm elections to flip enough seats in Congress for a reversal on this decision to be possible. An attorney for Trustees of Alaska (an environmental law firm) said that they would fight the bill and suggested that lawsuits might be on the way as a last-ditch effort.

            The majority of Alaskans are in favor of the bill�s passage as it would bring a boost to the state economically. One of the biggest proponents of the bill is Senator Lisa Murkowski who is from Alaska. Even some Native American groups support the opening up of the refuge to drilling.

            Opponents of the bill say that this is just another concession given to big business. Senator Ed Markley of Massachusetts said, �This isn�t about crude oil; it is the crudest of politics.� The danger that drilling poses to the wildlife of the region is not to be understated. The refuge is home to caribou and polar bears and is one of the few places in the world that these animals are able to live freely in the wild.

            I�m skeptical of this bill. Republicans have promised that any drilling in the area will be safe and smart. They said the same thing after the Keystone pipeline was given the green light earlier this year. Last month, 210,000 gallons of oil spilled from the pipeline in South Dakota. The lawmakers who have promised safe drilling do not have a good record at the moment. I would take their claim that the refuge will be preserved with a grain of salt.

            Another quarrel that I have with this legislation is that it will cause oil companies and Republicans to want to expand where they drill in the future. It�s like the saying that if you give them an inch they will take a mile. Republicans have stated that this is only a small area that they are opening up. One can infer that they might push for another �small� area to be opened up to oil drilling in the future, and then another one, and another one. This will continue until the oil companies can drill wherever they want. This bill opens the door for oil companies to come inside and get comfortable. Consumers should be wary of letting them in the house. That�s all for this week.

            Tomorrow my blog turns one year old. Be on the look out for something special coming soon.