Palin Changes Position on Climate Change

Reality Check

Ben There seems a tad skeptical about the oil drilling footprint that would result should a 2000 acre, bogey area (frozen in winter) in Anwar be developed for energy production. In the interest of brevity I thought I'd simply list some fun facts most worriers of the Environmentalist Gaia Religion apparently don't know.

1. When the Alaska pipeline was built in the early 1970's enviro's worried over the bear and caribou populations. They predicted the presence of the pipeline would so disturb and disorient them that they wouldn't be unable to mate, thereby causing a devastating decrease in their population. If fact their numbers have more than doubled and they seem able to mate right under the pipe. I guess the caribou aren't as concerned about aesthetics during sex as the greenies. Umm... perhaps the greenies will go extinct - another reason to drill more oil wells.

2. More than a hundred wells can be drilled per acre and the pumps can be submersed in the oil reservoir, so no part of the pumping operation need be visible above ground - Just in case the caribou stop having sex.

3. There are no trees within a hundred miles of the proposed site which is mostly fly and mosquito bog.

4. Ben wonders why they need gravel roads instead of ice roads. I'm guessin' here, but I would suppose because ice roads melt in summer. I wonder why the concern... Are caribou somehow disturbed by gravel? Does the crunching underfoot cause them anxiety?

Just a few additional fun facts for the neo-Pagans;

1. More oil spilled into the sea every 2 months of World War II than in the entire 63 years since its end.

2. More than 1700 barrels of crude oil leak into U.S. Territorial waters from natural, undersea fissures every day. Leakage from the 3600+ oil platforms account for less than 5 barrels a day. And, the natural seepage would more than double if we stopped off shore drilling.

3. The greatest oil spill in history took place in Truk Lagoon in August, 1944. 77 Japaneses ships filled with chemicals, fuel oil and munitions were sunk by hundreds of bombs from American dive bombers. The enviros would deem this a "Super Fund Site"...In reality it is an underwater wonderland and world famous dive resort. Many of the ships still leak oil and there is a continual sheen over much of the lagoon - Life still flourishes.

4. When Juan Cabrillo explored the California coast in the mid-16th century he sailed thru an oil slick that stretched from what is now San Diego to Santa Barbara. He found the natives using tar and pitch to seal their canoes and the beaches covered with it. No beach clean up crews spending millions wiping off sea gulls in those days.

5. All asphalt roads eventually emulsify and rain washes millions of gallons of this and other road pollutants into the sea every year. Should we tear up millions of miles of asphalt roads? Then what do we do with the asphalt?

Find a real worry - Maybe a terrorist with a nuke or bio weapon.

R.L.Schaefer of CA @ Sep 16, 2008 12:58:49 PM