Redstate

By jimpfaff Posted in Energy — Comments (0) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »

A July 5, 2008, Denver Post editorial, “Pond Scum to the Rescue?” touted a joint effort by ConocoPhillips and the Colorado Center for Biorefining and Biofuels to use algae (“pond scum”) as a biofuel alternative. The Post claims rather optimistically that this experimental process could “[fight] global warming and the OPEC oil cartel in one stroke,” and that we should “stop using ‘pond scum’ as an insult and start using it to save our wallets and our planet.” Such a rosy prediction is, with all due respect, overstated. To the contrary, the problem with oil is not the lack of alternatives. It is significant government restrictions on oil exploration right here at home that artificially limits supply and needlessly leads to higher prices.

While alternative fuels are largely limited to research and development, expansion of oil production in our own country would have a vastly greater effect on our national and economic security as a nation. And Colorado will become a major source of that security if we will decide to implement reasonable policies for energy exploration. The problem is some of our elected officials are putting up roadblocks which are nothing more than environmental alarmism. We need forward thinking in support of Colorado’s well-established, leadership role in the energy economy while maintaining our commitment to environmental stewardship.

For example, here in our own state, we are sitting on one of the world’s largest deposits of oil. The Green River Basin in Colorado, Wyoming and Utah has an estimated 1.736 trillion to 2.046 trillion barrels of oil. This accounts for 62% of worldwide oil shale reserves. The world’s oil shale deposits amount to 1.317 trillion more barrels of oil than the world’s proven oil reserves.

Though the refining of oil shale into gasoline for automobiles may not be the best use of this resource, it can be refined into “middle distillates” such as kerosene, jet fuel, diesel fuel and home heating oil. Millions of homes this winter—especially in the east—are about to have a huge sticker shock when they get their heating bills. But, instead of promoting oil shale exploration in our state a dozen years ago, Congress, Colorado state government and our current and past Colorado Congressional delegations have refused to take decisive action to remove regulatory roadblocks.

Recently, Congressman Mark Udall and Governor Bill Ritter dismissed calls for increased oil shale production in Colorado claiming the technology has not been proven to be environmentally safe. But this is not entirely accurate. New technologies which have been developed by Shell Oil in our state are showing good results in early tests in are even being touted by the U.S. Department of Energy as a promising technology. But recent news articles have revealed that regulatory guidelines, necessary before companies can proceed with further development, are long overdue.

The ones dragging their feet here are not oil companies, but government bureaucrats and, by extension, our state’s Congressional delegation, many of whom—specifically Sen. Ken Salazar, Cong. Mark Udall and Cong. Diana DeGette—sit on key committees which can move energy friendly legislation forward. But, to date, they have done nothing. Instead, they have put up environmental roadblocks. If these roadblocks were lifted, Colorado could begin to lead the way in reduced fuel prices in the long run and good paying jobs to Colorado now.

Mere optimism about the “promise” of alternative fuel sources cannot alter the reality that petroleum will play a major role in meeting our energy needs for decades to come. If we are to maintain our economic freedom, which protects our jobs and allows individuals and families to securely pursue their lives free from want, we must expand oil exploration within our own country. In the West, we already have effective and environmentally friendly methods to bring petroleum out of the ground. We can, and should, applaud ConocoPhillips and other companies for investing in new energy technologies. But in the meantime, we must address the problem of rising fuel costs by increasing our supply of petroleum with increased exploration at home. And Colorado, with its already strong energy economy, can lead the way by expanding oil shale development.

It seems we have a decision to make here in Colorado. Do we want more jobs and a boost to our economy, or do we want more pond scum?