Currently in the United States, the price of gas has reached over $4 a gallon. This is a true crisis, considering the fact that a person cannot even get a loaf of bread without getting into a car the driving somewhere. Nowadays, Americans are much too depended on foreign oil. In 1973, Americans imported 30 percent of its oil, but today it imports more than 60 percent and that will increase.[1] I believe the United States is fully capable of providing oil for its own nation, instead of depending upon other nations to provide it with oil. In my judgment, the only effective way for the United States to break out of the current oil crisis is to immediately open all federal properties and of its shores for the purpose of oil exploration and drilling.
For nearly three decades, two federal bans, known as an Executive Moratorium, signed in 1990, and a Congressional Moratorium, that requires annual renewal, have prevented offshore energy exploration and drilling in the United States.[2]
The western front of the United States Capitol. Th...
English: Inspector on offshore oil drilling rig
United States Capitol, Washington, D.C., east fron...But now, with oil prices at record highs and accompanying economic difficulties in the United States, we have seen many new calls for lifting the offshore drilling ban. But this remains a great issue of debate between the Democratic and Republican political parties. On July 14, 2008, President Bush lifted the Executive Moratorium, clearing away the executive branchesÃÂ restriction on this exploration, but for any real effect to take place, the United States Congress, controlled by the Democratic Party must also lift its ban, which it has still failed to do so.[3]The advantage of opening up all the federal properties and of its shores for oil drilling and exploration is new refineries and nuclear plants can be built, which would have a drastic effect on the speculation of oil prices. Another...