Letters to the Editor (July 14)

Oil exploration would be great in Valencia County

Editor:

I think some of the most ungrateful wretches in this world are the people and organizations who want to tear down our fossil fuel industry.

It would be refreshing to get a few big thank yous to the industry that has provided them with their high quality of life. If it wasn’t for fossil fuel development, people around the globe would be living in abject poverty, including here in the U.S. In fact, many countries are living in poverty because of politicians and environmentalists denying their governments the use of fossil fuels.

“Fossil fuels are still the dominant source of energy around the world, providing four times more energy than all alternatives combined. And fossil fuel use is still growing. ‘Renewable’ solar and wind are just 3 percent of the world’s energy, a 3 percent that is dependent on mandates, subsidies, and reliable fossil fuel power plants — a 3 percent that is leading to increasing costs and/or major reliability problems everywhere solar and wind are used in nontrivial quantities.” (Alex Epstein, Fossil Future).

China has the lofty goal of being the world’s superpower and is using an 85 percent fossil-fueled economy to get there. Free countries are killing their economies by snuffing out fossil fuels, namely the U.S., which in turn kills their military, while China uses their low-cost, reliable fossil fuel energy to become the largest economy with a very formidable military.

Biden’s energy department just recently sold 95,000 barrels of our strategic petroleum reserve oil to Unipec, aka Sinopec, wholly owned by the Chinese government with Hunter Biden listed as part owner of the firm. But the point is that Biden promised that these petroleum reserves would be used to “ease the pain that U.S. families are feeling” from high energy prices.  Instead he sells our reserve oil to the Chinese. But hey, I guess the Chinese need it more than we do, right?

With all of this going on, it seems that approving oil exploration in Valencia County would be a good idea. In fact, a great idea!

 

Donna L. Crawford

Los Lunas

 

To county commissioners

Editor:

Health considerations prevent me from attending the natural resources overlay zone hearing on July 14, so I am offering my testimony in writing to be included in the record.

I am definitely and strongly in favor of the overlay zone. We need more oil and gas exploration not less. It will be a great boost to the county’s economy.

I have read objections to the overlay zone and potential oil and gas drilling because of impacts on “lifestyle.” We need to face the truth that only reason we all enjoy the “lifestyle” we have is because of fossil fuels. The radical anti-fossil fuel crowd loves to over-exaggerate negative aspects of fossil fuel development but ignore the unique, massive, and desperately needed benefits to human welfare from fossil fuels. Without fossil fuel benefits, no one including the antis would have the tools and wherewithal to live like we do now.

Development of fossil fuels has not made the earth more unlivable but has made the earth a more hospitable, safe, and healthier place to live.  Fossil fuels are the only  form of energy that provides every type of energy need at low cost and on demand for billions of people. Fossil fuels provide 80 percent of the world’s energy and 90 percent or the world’s transportation energy.

Because of fossil fuels, the world has never been a better place to live. Life expectancy and incomes have risen steadily.  Fossil fuels have actually made us far safer from climate by providing low-cost energy for the amazing machines that protect us against storms, protect us against extreme temperatures and alleviate drought. The truth about fossil fuels and climate is that fossil fuels have emitted CO2 that has contributed to some warming as well as significant greening. Most importantly, fossil fuels have produced and powered the infrastructure that keeps us safer from climate than ever.  In fact, climate disaster deaths have decreased 98 percent over the last century.

Looking back a little more than 100 years, it’s easy to see how civilization has benefited from fossil fuel products to meet the demands of the eight billion living on earth with more than 6,000 products made from oil. None of these products and subsequent infrastructures were available to society before 1900. The antis would have us go back to living the “lifestyle” of the late 1800s.

Wind turbines and solar panels may be able to generate intermittent electricity from breezes and sunshine, but they cannot manufacture anything. All the products needed to make the parts for vehicles, wind turbines, solar panels, planes, ships, medical supplies, tires, asphalt and fertilizer are made with the oil derivatives manufactured from crude oil. Getting rid of  oil will eliminate virtually everything in our daily lives and economies.

Another of the great green over-exaggerations is that oil and gas exploration will have significant effects on our water. Other than the totally discredited Michael Moore movie, oil and gas exploration has minimal impacts on water.  With modern drilling and sealing techniques any accidental impacts on water are very rare.

Another good thing about the overlay zone is that it is just the starting point in the process.  It does not give automatic approval for a particular drilling site. Additional analysis and public input will be required for any specific drilling proposal. No one knows if there is oil and gas to be found in Valencia county. We will never find out unless exploration is permitted.

I urge you to approve the overlay zone as originally done.  It will be a boon for this county.

 

James Crawford

Los Lunas