My Turn: Is oil the road to prosperity or bankruptcy?
Published: 10-30-2024 4:26 PM
Modified: 10-30-2024 7:09 PM |
‘Drill, baby drill!” Is this strategy the road to growing our economy? Or the road to bankruptcy?
I have read that it is estimated that the two recent hurricanes that landed in the U.S. will cost us over $180 billion in rebuilding costs! These are the two most expensive hurricanes on record.
Hurricanes Helene and Milton had stronger winds and more rain, and were more destructive than any previous hurricane. They were also closer together, only seven days apart, than any two hurricanes on record. Scientists say that the increased rain and winds were caused by the warming of the ocean, which is the result of climate change. Climate change, in turn, has been caused primarily by us humans burning oil and gas, which emit carbon dioxide and methane, the two major gases causing global warming and climate change.
These two storms alone lead me to the conclusion that burning oil and gas is a bad idea and could lead our country to bankruptcy! It is not only expensive to rebuild after storms, but it brings human suffering and tragedy. We are also already seeing the outcome of the cycle of floods and droughts that have led to food shortages and higher food costs, which have in turn caused political unrest and massive migrations of people searching for food and a safe place to live.
When the American Association of Retired Persons asked Donald Trump how he would address today’s high prices and how he would address proposed cuts to Medicare, his responses were troubling:
AARP: If elected, what will you do to combat high prices?
“We’re going to start by drilling and getting oil. I call it “drill, baby drill.” We’re going to start by going in and getting oil because energy prices is what really led to the problem of inflation, which is a massive problem. ”
Article continues after...
Yesterday's Most Read Articles
AARP: If elected, how will you protect Medicare from benefit cuts and how might you improve the program?
“We have to make our country successful again.” “We have tremendous opportunities like as an example, with what I call the ‘liquid gold’ under our feet. We have more oil and gas than any other country in the world by far and we don’t use it.” “We can grow our country at the bottom line.”
Kamala Harris’ responses to these questions reflected her values of fighting for what is fair and right for everyone, as she did during her career as California’s deputy defense attorney and then attorney general. She proposes not one but many approaches that she believes will lead us forward to a better and more prosperous America. Her approach makes it clear to me that she understands the complexity of the situation, and the dangers and downsides of drilling for and burning more oil and gas.
Every president inherits the result of the actions of the previous president, for better or worse. For example, it was Trump’s tax breaks for the wealthy that led to an increase of our national debt by $1-2 trillion, and it was Jpe Biden’s work to overcome the worst of that debt that was one of the causes of inflation. In the same way, the next president will reap the economic benefits of Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, which are creating good-paying jobs, rebuilding our roads and bridges, and building wind and solar to produce carbon-free energy. We are just now beginning to see the benefits of these investments, which will continue and grow during the next president’s term.
If elected, Harris will continue building a clean energy economy, because she understands that investing today in wind and solar may not produce wealth today, but in the long term it will benefit us all by helping us restore our climate and avoid the bankruptcy-causing damages of future climate change disasters.
Please join me in voting for a better future for us all. I’m voting for Kamala Harris.
Nancy Hazard is a member of Greening Greenfield, a former builder and retired director of the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association. She invites feedback at NancyHazard30@gmail.com.