I wrote an article based on Newt Gingrich's "Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less" campaign, which encompasses off-shore drilling, as well as oil shale mining in land-locked states. Here's the original article:

Ex-Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich is leading a campaign calling American citizens to sign a petition recommending congress to enable oil companies the authority to begin a widespread domestic oil drilling initiative.

Newt Gingrich’s “Drill Here. Drill Now. Pay Less” campaign is squarely aimed at the tightening wallets of most Americans in the midst of the highest gas hike in over three decades (the price of gasoline has risen on average 74 cents since last May). Nearly half a million people have signed the petition since its inception last month. The primary focus of the campaign is the immediate retraction of federal restrictions on the development of new domestic oil fields. The scope of this campaign is to alleviate the financial burden of soaring fuel prices and the wide-spread trickle down effect of rising costs effecting most goods and service industries.

According to A. Siegel, co-founder of The Energy Consensus and Energize America, in a recent blog for Huffington Post, “It would take roughly 10 years for any opened areas to contribute to US production in a serious way. Gasoline prices in the United States have quadrupled in the past decade. How much might they increase in the intervening time period between decisions to open up reserves and pumped oil?”

Not surprisingly, the Drill Here. Drill Now. Pay Less. initiative astutely ignores the environmental considerations in its push for more local petroleum production. The site hosting the petition, American Solutions, proudly displays a poll derived from The Platform of the American People showing that 73% of Americans concur that off-shore drilling is necessary for reducing dependence on foreign oil.

Mr. Gingrich’s website, www.newt.org, makes direct references to the (presumably) largest domestic oil shale resources…in Utah, Colorado and Wyoming, none of which have any off-shore areas to speak of. Mr. Gingrich’s oil shale accolades fail to fully uncover the ecological hazards behind the extraction of oil shale, a sedimentary rock used as an alternative raw material for the production of hydrocarbons.

Oil shale is typically found underground and relies on mining and extraction methods to produce, with considerable consequences for the environment including erosion, sulfur emissions, water usage and the production of more greenhouse gases than traditional petroleum refinement. Oil shale is not a direct substitute for crude oil and requires a substantial amount of refinement in order to remove high concentrations of oxygen, nitrogen and olefins. Oil shale also lacks a sufficient amount of hydrocarbons and would not replace gasoline (although it does substitute for middle-distillates like jet fuel). Given these serious limitations, it’s hard for one to envision oil shale effectively quenching our society’s insatiable thirst for petroleum products (at least not in a cost-efficient or sustainable method).

Estonia is not the only producer of oil shale (China, Russia and Brazil, amongst others, also produce shale oil); however, their nation accounts for 70% of the world’s production of the product. In a 2002 study, researchers determined that 97% of Estonia’s air pollution, 88% of their waste production and 23% of their water pollution originated from the nation’s power industry which utilizes oil shale as its primary resource. Even more startling, the power industry consumed over 90% of the country’s water.

Mr. Gingrich’s myopic solutions to our dependence on foreign oil disastrously overlook our continued addiction to petroleum in the face of our economical dependence on other countries supplies. The support for this petition is growing as American’s once again forfeit the long term well-being of our planet and the societies it supports for immediate relief at the gas pump. If anyone is interested in supporting domestic oil shale production, which is comparable to tar sands in the amount of ecological devastation they own up to, please refer to Morgan Maher’s article, The War in the Midwest for an estimation of Canada’s looming environmental conundrum.

It seems that many people (most, if that 73% figure is even remotely accurate) think that a magic pipeline would appear out of thin air leading directly from these proposed refineries to their fuel pumps, instantaneously.

Now I'm far from an expert on these matters, and I am having a hard time wrapping my head around this, but apparently the price of fuel is based on speculation of a future supply and demand, or some such. So let's say they do start drilling in these areas, and fuel prices magically drop, (because of what these so-called "speculators" are speculating.)

Bush leaves office looking like a hero... and it wins the election for McCain. Ow... it hurts the head.... makes you wonder just what these guys are up to... Anyway, thanks for the article, Spiralyst... perhaps it should be a main article on RS!

It indeed appears as things are polarizing all around us. Everyday, in each little encounter with another human spirit, I am drawn to the transparency I see. Those working for their future stay locked in a grid of self-indulgence and ignorance while others lights continue to shine brighter actually affecting the surrounding around them with healing and balance.

I was arrested this weekend for walking my dog through a humble neighborhood park not 10 minutes by foot from my front door. The charges for entering a park at dark are trivial, however, the fact that I didn't have identification on me aggravated the situation to the extent that I endured almost 10 hours in an inner city prison.

My immediate reaction to the arresting officers, a large percentage of the inmates in the holding center (most of whom having been incarcerated for solicitation and minor drug offenses, and the correctional staff was that most people are deeply conditioned and so removed from the awakening that is occurring wildly in certain circles, that they are nearly enslaved.

This conditioning is not something I feel lies solely with the lowest common denominator of our society. I feel its grip every time I see such rabid support for the "quick fix" politics running rampant through most of our local and federal governments.

My advice to all who wander this great forum would be to not shy from the common masses in your daily routine. Share your intuitions and your breakthroughs and your ideas with anyone with a glimpse of interest in their eyes. It is the responsibility of everyone to ensure the passionate visions of our communities are not contained by borders of elitism and lack of sympathy.

My earlier comment needs clarification. Let me give you an example from my personal life to crystallize my message.

Every few weeks or so, Maya (my partner) and I take long walks on Sat or Sunday mornings with our dogs. On these specific walks we carry a trash bag each and spend an hour picking up trash on the streets in our neighborhood, a bustling district of bars and restaurants.

Each time we do this we notice people looking at our modest public service efforts and you can almost see a light bulb clicking on behind their eyes. I'm not saying everyone is going to start picking up trash on the side of the road, but I wouldn't be surprised if that wordless exchange doesn't make some people think twice the next time they are too impatient to properly dispose of their trash.

Picking up garbage is certainly not going to win any medals for public service. It isn't convoluted or consuming, but it does put forth silent messages in your surroundings and plays in integral role in reaching "critical mass."Have open dialogues next to complete strangers. If they turn their head in obvious interest share with them, let them take a part in the learning.

Play skill toys in the park and bring extra for others walking by to come and play. Carry a canteen with you everywhere you go and tell everyone how great stainless steel is compared to plastic. Make a request to your office to provide biodegradable materials like corn starch trash bags or utensils. Make art projects out of recycled materials and bring them to a party.  

Just keep doing these little things, but do them in public. Let people get interested through introductions.