Oil Exploration

Somebody please explain this to me? Both McCain and Obama are now saying that we need to open up drilling in areas previously environmentally protected. Obama may be a bit more reluctant, but he still seems to be in favor.

A full page ad in this month's Discover Magazine asks "Is tomorrow's energy right in front of us?". It then goes on to complain that 85% of the resources on the Outer Continental Shelf are off limits, and states that there could be 36 billion barrels of oil sitting there that we could get if we weren't so worried about marine wildlife.

Wow. Thirty six billion barrels. That sure sounds like a lot. But it isn't. From what I can find on the web (and please do correct me if I'm wrong), the United States alone uses over 7 billion barrels a year. Seven billion barrels. So those vast off-shore resources would add about 5 years worth of oil.

Five years worth? If we need an extra five years worth of oil, we're in big, big trouble.

We probably ARE in big trouble, but isn't it far past time to face the music and start serious work to get off oil? I don't think risking more damage to our oceans (we may have done too much already) for a lousy five years of putting off the inevitable makes any sense.

So.. somebody tell me why I'm all wrong?