The Arctic Myth | Commentary, June 1
By Randall Luthi, Special to Roll Call
America’s economic future depends on energy. I have often been critical of Congress and the Obama administration for not doing enough to secure our energy future, but I am pleased to give credit where credit is due. The administration got it right with the recent announcement from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management conditionally approving Shell’s Application for Permit to Drill in the Chukchi Sea. Predictably, however, the announcement triggered a torrent of teeth gnashing, including a short-sighted and alarmist letter written by 18 senators from the president’s own party and the ranting and raving of extreme environmental groups about the destruction of the Arctic due to oil and gas exploration.
It’s well past time to take a close look at the Arctic Myth that this group of senators and others are continuing to put forward as fact, all too often without critical examination by the news media.
