A Time for Transition

Each day that oil continues to gush into the Gulf of Mexico should serve as one more nail in the coffin of dirty fossil fuels. Each wave that brings thick crude upon formerly pristine beaches, each pelican that struggles to spread its oil-coated wings, each fisherman who wonders how he’ll feed his family now that his livelihood has been compromised.

So the answer to the question posed by Senator Graham is NO. America’s dependence on foreign oil and dirty fossil fuels has already reached critical mass – and in light of the Gulf oil disaster and everything that is at risk from oil and gas exploration, it’s time for the country to make a serious push for the development of clean, renewable sources of energy.

Offshore oil and gas drilling is a risky, dangerous operation that threatens American lives, jobs, environment and natural resources. By expanding offshore drilling, Congress would open the Gulf region, Arctic and Atlantic coast to more disasters such as the Deepwater Horizon spill. We now know that oil companies cannot promise that their drilling procedures are safe, either in the Gulf or in the Arctic, where it will be even more difficult to control a spill. Without a moratorium on new offshore drilling, we can anticipate even more costly spills in the future, destroying coastal communities and wildlife habitats.

Instead of continuing to feed an unhealthy addiction to dirty, climate-changing fossil fuels like oil, it is time to rapidly expand our investments in clean renewable energy sources such as wind and solar. Renewable power from large-scale solar and wind farms can help to speed up the transition to a clean-energy future, as long as we also make sure that renewable development is done right, in the places that it makes the most sense. In developing these resources, we create jobs for Americans that can’t be outsourced and strengthen the country’s energy independence and national security.

Congress should move forward on renewable energy and clean energy jobs and towards a future of clean energy produced here at home. We have the technology, we have the innovation and we have the resources; a moratorium on offshore drilling will provide the final push. With commitment, our clean-energy future can start now.

This post originally appeared on National Journals’ Expert Blog, and responds to Sen. Graham’s question of whether Congress should expand offshore drilling.