Sarah Palin Was Right #32: Majority of Americans Still Want Offshore Drilling

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In the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon explosion, Sarah Palin published an op-ed online to explain why she still supports offshore drilling:

"All responsible energy development must be accompanied by strict oversight, but even with the strictest oversight in the world, accidents still happen. No human endeavor is ever without risk – whether it’s sending a man to the moon or extracting the necessary resources to fuel our civilization. I repeat the slogan “drill here, drill now” not out of naiveté or disregard for the tragic consequences of oil spills – my family and my state and I know firsthand those consequences. How could I still believe in drilling America’s domestic supply of energy after having seen the devastation of the Exxon-Valdez spill? I continue to believe in it because increased domestic oil production will make us a more secure, prosperous, and peaceful nation."

She was immediately attacked and ridiculed by the anti-Palin left, but according to the results of an IBD/TIPP poll taken after the rig explosion and subsequent oil spill, a solid majority of the American people agree with Gov. Palin, not the naysayers:

Preliminary results of an IBD/TIPP Poll of 795 U.S. adults, taken from April 30 to May 5, show that a large majority — 59% — approve of "oil exploration and drilling in America's national territorial waters." Just 31% said they disapprove.

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The cold reality is we need oil. A retreat from drilling would be economically unwise. BP's mess must be put into perspective.

"We get more than a fifth of our domestic production of oil here in the U.S. from off the Gulf Coast, over a million barrels a day," says the American Enterprise Institute's Steve Hayward. "If we don't continue that ... we'll be importing more oil to make up for it, even if consumption stays flat."

Today, the U.S. uses about 21 million barrels of oil a day. But we produce only about a third of that. The rest is imported. All told, including Mexico, a third of our oil and gas comes from the Gulf.

Simply, there is no ready-to-use energy source now available to replace millions of barrels of oil and trillions of cubic feet of gas.

IBD's editors explain the significance of the poll results. The DOE tells us that by the time two more decades have elapsed, the world will need 23% more oil than it is using today. We simply can't continue to depend on foreign sources to provide the United States with the oil we will need to meet domestic demands. For the sake of our own security, we must expand our home-grown domestic energy sector.

Average Americans understand that we will need more oil and natural gas, and the only way to get is to drill for it. That we must do so responsibly almost goes without saying, but in light of the Gulf spill, it has to be said. Average Americans also understand this, as does Gov. Palin, who has always argued that we must explore and produce with the greatest of care and respect for the environment.

- JP