Maria Pava Period 2 12/14/12 Debates for American Government The United States is a world leader.

The nations of the world look to the United States for direction. But relying on other countries for oil is not being a leader; American Energy Independence is about world leadership. From an economic point of view, Energy Independence means energy security (supply and price stability); an objective that can be achieved mainly by using our nations oil supply instead of importing it from outside of the United States. As a nation, we are currently relying too much on oil from countries in several parts of the world. According to U.S. Energy Information Administration, the U.S. produces 1.8 million barrels of crude oil per year, but imports 3.6 billion barrels. For this reason, more than 50% of our trade deficit is oil. If a larger share of the oil being consumed by Americans were produced in the United States, it would gradually lessen the U.S. trade deficit with the rest of the world. Additionally, drilling and producing domestic oil could contribute mightily to solving the countrys economic problems. We are located over enough oil to power us for the next 250 years at the current rate of consumption. If we were to utilize the resources we already have, we could save the U.S. $14 billion barrels per year in oil imports, and ultimately create anywhere from 250,000 to 735,000 jobs. This would not only reduce the amount of money we spend, but also keep the amount we do spend inside the country instead of giving it to other countries. Additionally, the economy in the United States would improve because of the new jobs that would get money circulating once again. In fact, this strategy has already proven to be helpful. According to U.S. Energy Information Administration, the cheapest gasoline prices right now are in the middle of the country. The reason is that refiners there have easy access to all the

cheap, domestic crude being drilled in such places as Texas and Oklahoma and Kansas. A barrel of foreign oil priced against the Brent benchmark that gets shipped over from West Africa or the North Sea is currently $20 a barrel more expensive than domestic crude priced against West Texas Intermediate. For these reasons, the United States should develop domestic oil supplies to reduce dependence on foreign sources.

CONS * environmental impact > BP oil spill > threat to wildlife > it will not impact gas prices > it takes a long time > seismic waves > blah, blah, blah environment QUESTIONS possible answers The seismic wave testing has only been dome with caged animals In May 1995, the US was pumping 6.6 million barrels of crude oil daily, and the national average cost of a gallon of regular gasoline was $1.17. Today, its $3.81. The difference is the price of a barrel of oil. In 1995, a barrel of oil was $19. Today, it is around $92. The United States does not need zero foreign oil imports to be energy independent. There is no reason to end oil imports from Canada and Mexico. Energy independence is not about protectionism. Oil reserve Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) could produce between 1.4 and 1.9 billion barrels.

REBUTALLDrilling could easily be done without disrupting the refuge or damaging the environment. New technologies mean that drilling can be completed with minimal impact on the ecosystem. Advancement in technology includes horizontal wells. Unlike vertical wells, which require individual well pads, multiple horizontal wells can be drilled from the same pad to reach oil in various locations without added impacts to the environment.

As for the PREVIOUS DISASTERS: environmental protection has moved up the agenda inside every major oil company. Regulations in the West have got ever tighter, as companies cannot afford to be fined or to lose their reputations. No one is looking to cause a disaster, but we can ultimately learn from ones that have already occurred. People learn from their mistakes, and companys start to take greater caution with their work and figure out new ways to improve their faulty techniques.

NONRENEWABLE: Yes, oil is a nonrenewable resource, but like I mentioned before, we have enough oil to last us for centuries to come. We live in a country of innovation, where technology is increasing at a faster rate than most every other country in the world. We already have vehicles that are powered by green energy such as solar power. By the time we run out of oil, if we ever do, we most likely wont need it anymore, or at least not at the same rate that we do right now. Congress recently passed legislation to decrease our dependence on oil by increasing corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards on new cars and trucks to 35 mpg by model year 2020. This could reduce our petroleum use by 25 billion gallons by 2030. There is also, the development of alternative

transportation fuels and multi-fuel vehicles (including electric), will give consumers an opportunity to choose a non-petroleum fuel at the pump. So why dont we use what we need right now, when it is actually valuable to us? If we keep saving our recourses for later, eventually they will be of no use to us.

TIME: Time, of course, is always a factor. Its going to take years and decades before the prices of gasoline are back to the way they used to be years ago. But it's also going to take years and decades for someone to potentially find a cure for life threatening diseases such as cancer, and that's not going to stop them from trying. Every day that we wait is just a day wasted.

The United States should develop domestic oil supplies to reduce dependence on foreign sources. [IF NOT USED] We have enough oil to last us for centuries to come. We live in a country of innovation, where technology is increasing at a faster rate than most every other country in the world. We already have vehicles that are powered by green energy such as solar power. By the time we run out of oil, if we ever do, we most likely wont need it anymore, or at least not at the same rate that we do right now. Congress recently passed legislation to decrease our dependence on oil by increasing corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards on new cars and trucks to 35 mpg by model year 2020. This could reduce our petroleum use by 25 billion gallons by 2030. There is also the development of alternative transportation fuels and multi-fuel vehicles (including electric), will give consumers an opportunity to choose a non-petroleum fuel at the pump. So why dont we use what we need right now, when it is actually valuable to us? If we

keep saving our recourses for later, eventually they will be of no use to us. [IF NOT USED] With the development of new technologies, it has been stated that drilling can be done without damaging the environment and disturbing the plant and animal habitat. We simply cannot sit around staring at the answers to our problems because they affect one aspect of our world. However, that doesn't mean we have to be mutually exclusive. We can protect the environment and do so responsibly, but we can also protect the environment and not kill jobs in America and not deny ourselves access to the energy resources that America's been so blessed with." Overall, oil drilling will improve the economy of the people and the country as a whole.

Drilling has to happen somewhere. If we do not get oil from our own land, we have to get it from somewhere else. If the environment isn't "ruined" here, it's going to the "ruined" there. Therefore, the outcome that you are trying to prevent will still be the same.