The opinions expressed in this outline are from a school debate assignment the author participated in. They are actually in opposition to the author’s view on this subject and are meant only to encourage discussion. Drilling For Oil Speech-Brenda Miller
Resolved: America should drill and refine her own oil
What are we struggling with today? High gas prices, not enough refineries, homeless people, jobless people, and more. These are all effects of one thing-money! People can't earn enough to make a living and provide for their families. They don't have enough to pay bills, for food, electricity, etc. One thing included among these things is high gas prices. With high gas prices people won't be able to afford to go to work and thus lose their only job and thus can't provide for their families (A look at the future).
High gas prices are an effect from drilling. Let's say the government wants to drill domestically. What will it cost us to make more refineries? Pay for the regulations and permits? And to store it? These are all serious things that should be taken into account.
Harms-
1-The cost a lot of money for permits, regulations, and rules and the gas price would rise greatly because they would have to charge extra to help pay for all the permits and blue-tape.
2-It would be cheaper to ship it over, considering that the prices are going down each day. Presently they at are $1.69 per gallon at self-serve gas stations! Because of this, it wouldn't be profitable to drill domestically for only 2.88 years worth. It would be highly costly for nothing!
3-As my partner stated in the 1NC the US doesn't have near enough reserves to supply itself for let alone 3 years, only 2.88 years.
Totally in America, if you add up all the reserves together, there is only 21 billion barrels to
be or could be drilled. This is only 3% of the world's oil. Would it really be worth it to pay that much money for ten years and only end up with a maximum amount of 2.88 years worth of oil? No, it wouldn't.
A. President Bush and John McCain were discussing offshore drilling and domestic drilling and made a comment:
"It would take almost a decade to actually obtain all of the permits and such to actually be able to start drilling here in America. The results are too small to affect the world prices."
In Alaska there is a natural habitat for animals there called ANWR. It is a great place for animals RESEARCH ANWR-WHAT IS IT EXACTLY, AND HOW MUCH OIL IS UNDER ANWR?
B. Representative Allyson Schwartz, Drilling ANWR is not the answer, May, 2006-
"Simply put, drilling in ANWR would be expensive, environmentally devastating, and
would do little to fix our energy crisis or to bring down the actualy price of gas."
C. Congressman Dan Lipinski, Lipinski Opposes drilling in environmentally sensitive
ANWR, May, 2006-
"The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is a unique and biologically special place that
should be preserved."
4-Today America's oil refineries are already being stretched to hold our oil, if we start drilling where would we store it? We would have to build more refineries, which costs money, which would raise the gas prices and thus not saving any money.
However, if we did alternative fuels we wouldn't need refineries to hold the power, all we would have to do is transport it directly to the places that needed it.
Enviromentally there would produce the dange of cave-ins, oil
spills, the smell, and destruction of natural habitats.
D. According
to a Wall Street Journal report on May 19, 2008, “A stadium-size sinkhole
that formed in south Texas's oil country this month is renewing questions about
the effects of billions of barrels of saltwater injected into the ground each
year as a byproduct of oil and gas drilling… … The issue was thrown into the
spotlight this month when a 900-foot-wide, 250-foot-deep sinkhole opened up in
Daisetta, a 1,000-population town about 60 miles northeast of Houston.”
5-Also, the smell. When you walk up to a gas station and start fueling up your vehicle, do you ever smell something? It stinks, doesn't it. Yep, it's the gasoline. If you don't like the smell of gasoline do you really think that the smell of oil drilling will be much better? No, it will stink too.
E. In the case Beveridge vs. Harper & Turner Oil Trust, J. L. Beveridge, from Oklahoma City, sues an oil company after 500 citizens protest against the smell of the oil wells. FindLaw says, “The case is brought to this court on appeal by J. L. Beveridge… …and some 500 protesting citizens, taxpayers and property owners. These last-mentioned plaintiffs in error first voiced objection to the proposed extension of oil drilling activities....”
Advantages-
If we switched to non-OPEC countries we won't have to worry so much about National Security.
Alternatives-
We should have alternative fuels rather than domestic drilling vs. buying oil from other countries. Hydro Power, as my partner stated earlier in the 1NC only costs approximately $0.01 per kilowatt, and Wind Power only costs approximately $0.03 per ...
We could switch from OPEC countries to non-OPEC countries which would allow us National Security and thus saving money because we don't have to pay for it while we were from OPEC countries.
Traditional Significance-
By US drilling we have independence for a short time versus if we use alternative things we will have energy independence for a longer time.
DEFENSE:
Moving out all the animals from ANWR to a different location would cost a couple thousand dollars and then you would have to pay for storage until they finished drilling (after 10 years), then drill for 1 year, and put all the cattle back! WOAH! That's a lot of work. Not worth it, plus include that after drilling the land won't be the same and thus the cattle most likely won't adapt as it was before drilling was done.
ANWR only has enough oil to supply the US for 1 year.
In today's society we are in a World Market age. There's nothing that can be
done about that. But we CAN'T stay independent.
We can look at the long term affect on the US and other countries on what will happen if we drill domestically. We don't know what will happen in the future, let alone tomorrow, but by looking at other countries and their effects on the economy we can see in what ways that by drilling there what could, and most likely would happen in our own countries economy if we started domestic drilling.
OPEC countries have 78% of the world's total proven oil reserves, while non-OPEC countries have 22%. Still, the most of our oil comes from the 22%, whereas most of Asia buys OPEC oil.
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CROSS-EXAM: (question to ask to the opposing team)
1- Our domestic oil will only last the US 2.88 years, but it will be 8-12 years before we can
start to drill. Also, drilling here is more expensive than receiving imported oil.
2- The Earth's oil supply will run out, but alternative (renewable) fuels will not.
3- We should protect our environment from dangerous oil spills and ruining ANWR
animals' natural habitat!
4- Gas is currently at a price of $1.69 per gallon-it has dropped almost 3 whole dollars in
the past few months.
5- Why is Saudia Arabia (S.A.) importing oil when they are exporting it to us?