Former President Donald Trump had bragged about his success in opening the region to oil production after decades of political fighting over the resources locked under the tundra there.

  • luckyhunter@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    That’s what this move does. We can get our oil from ourselves or from them, your choice, but it’s going to be one of them.

    • kinther@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      I think what you’re saying is we should be energy independent, right?

      I don’t disagree with that sentiment, but I disagree on where that energy comes from. We should have invested in BOTH getting off of hostile nation energy sources AND alternatives to oil decades ago. Yet here we are. Both parties are to blame for this, yet only one of them seems to be pushing for non-oil energy independence.

      • luckyhunter@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        We were energy independent up until a couple years ago, a net exporter even. Alternatives are fine, but we aren’t going to all park our gas cars for 20 years while we wait for a cheap and plentiful alternative to take its place.

        • hypnotoad__@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          Bro you may wanna research your claims before you get all huffy about shit. You’re not even right, and you’re mad at the wrong people

        • GortexGary@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          Yeah, but we got there by shale oil which is ruining our water supply and raping the future land for the present. Hot take. Let’s build more nuclear if energy independence is really the goal. Fossil Fuels are killing us.

        • kinther@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          I don’t think that is realistic either. We’re in a transition period and most people still drive gas powered cars. It could take 20 years like you said, or it could take 50.

          That said, going back to the article here, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge doesn’t currently have a lot of oil producing wells on it (if any at all). This is mostly due to the remote area, lack of infrastructure such as roads to get the oil out, and cost vs benefit analysis done by the oil companies. Blocking the drilling is really just slowing down -expansion- of oil production and does nothing to our current production levels.

          • luckyhunter@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            Oh I know. Production takes time to ramp up no matter where it’s located, some areas a just easier than others. Its a known energy reserve, well I guess technically not now that drilling is banned, So energy expansion and production will just continue to expand elsewhere. For global political, and environmental reasons it would be best to expand in the US if possible and not the middle east, russia, china. People cheering this decision don’t understand that the oil will just come from dirtier, more evil places.