Most Americans can get behind the goal of importing less oil (though we don’t always agree on how to get there). One of the great strengths of the climate bill is that it’s the most effective and responsible way to make real cuts in imported oil. Two releases this week shed light on how:
- We just posted a quick summary of how the climate bill will reduce oil imports. Short version: No matter how much we drill, the U.S. burns more oil than we have in our borders, so we import it. The climate bill will cut use of ALL oil, so we can get away with importing less.
- The Center for American Progress just released a report on reducing oil dependence [PDF]. It has nice graphs outlining recent trends, discusses specific measures to reduce oil use, and notes how the climate bill encourages those measures.
It’s no surprise that Big Oil has put its resources to work against this bill. Climate Progress takes a look at the history and recent political activity of the oil industry.
The Wall Street Journal‘s Environmental Capital notes that other buyers can keep the oil-producing states in business without us. But in any case, we can be more secure if we reduce our own dependence on imported oil. The climate bill gives us a strong start.
One Comment
Most Americans can and should get behind the goal of importing less oil for many reasons (funding terrorism being one). We all have to do our part starting with our own choices. Know where you get your gas from, conserve electricity, and carpool to and from work. Do what you can to support the climate bill, call, write or attend. We can’t all do everything but we can all do something.